Scenario
by TheFinalOrder
Summary: Having lost the one thing she loved, she begged for a second chance, and was given one. Spoilers for season finale (end of arc 3... well, some of it anyways). First fanfic and so criticism appreciated. (Update, is now a Marvel X Re-zero X Young Justice)
1. Don't Leave Me

She did it.

Emilia, the woman he loved, had finally ended this nightmare. She had killed the last of the Sloths. Without even needing help.

He knew she was strong, but through the multiple loops, she had always ended up dead against the original. Always frozen, always lifeless.

He had tried to assist Emilia, but Felix had stopped him. "You need to rest. Put your trust in her." Was basically he said. And while Subaru didn't want to, he did. He was scared to lose now, at the end of it all. One small mistake, and Emilia would be done for, and he would have to start a new.

But she didn't lose. It took some time but Emilia had won. She had killed the last of the Sloths and put an end to this nightmare. He breathed a sigh of relief from where he sat. It felt it had been a lifetime since he was allowed to relax from everything. To finally be able to see a happy ending to this.

"You Nyow? That was impressive. I might just take her as my wife! What do you think Subaru? Think she'll accept a cat like me?" Felix said as he stood next to him. Seemed that even now Felix couldn't help but joke even in this situation.

Looking over, Subaru gave him a playful glare. "No, I can't have this. One cat is hard enough to deal with, but two would be hell. Besides, my goddess probably wouldn't give you the time of day." 'She actually would'.

"He he. You have nyothing to worry about Subaru, besides, I already have my princess waiting for me back home." Felix said as he walked away from him, towards Emilia.

Watching them with a faint smile, he saw everyone thanking and congratulating Emilia. She was quickly flustered, and was quick to make a selfish excuse. Everyone saw through it quickly though and had a good laugh.

She caught eyes with him and waved.

Smiling, Subaru got up to his feet, and he started making his way to Emilia.

"Subaru"

A voice called him, loud enough that he had to cover his ears. He looked around, and he stopped. Not because he wanted to, but because time froze.

A black hole appeared before him. Just like whenever he was about to reveal "Return by Death", a hand appeared to come out and slowly wormed it's way into him. It felt cold, and it hurt like hell. The hand continued inwards until it was out of site.

Time resumed as normal, but he didn't feel right. It wasn't the same feeling as the other times. If anything, this felt worse.

He puked. He felt weak. He looked around. Everyone was moving slowly, leaving after images after images.

'My brain Trembles'

He heard it. All the worry he felt turned to full on fear.

Without even thinking, he ran. Ran past Julius,

Ran past a worried Emilia.

Into the Forest

* * *

The forest was a big place. That was certain.

During the first days Subaru had spent in this world, he had taken note of this and decided if he ever needed to run away from anything, he would go there. Back in his world, while they had forests, they were more or less safe. Here was a different story.

Even though he was a NEET, he knew how to hunt, fish and camp through multiple American shows showing off all that stuff. While he never had to really use the skills in his world, that didn't stop him from practicing. He should have no problem throwing off any random scavenger or beast… if it was alone.

The problem came in the form of drowsiness and his pursuers being more skilled than he was. He saw 3 of everything, heard 5 of everything, and it was sickening. He puked again, and again and again. The burning of his throat and the smell of acid didn't make anything better.

He tripped, his body finally giving up. Subaru twitched, foam coming from his mouth. His mind was blank and he couldn't think clearly. That's when he heard it.

"Sleep, for the gospel has chosen you as the next vessel!"

He of course resisted, but didn't last long. He could see the face of the man he hated crouched in front of him. The face of Betelgeuse.

* * *

"Subaru!"

Emilia was extremely worried. Subaru had looked deathly Ill when he had past her. He didn't even acknowledge her when she tried to stop him. What scared her even more was the face he was making. He never made that face, only when something was terribly wrong.

"Do you think he's alright?" She asked pleading to the people who had followed Subaru with her.

The small party consisted of four people; Julius, Felix, Wilhelm, and Emilia. They were the closest to Subaru, physically and emotionally, at the time when he ran away. That was 2 hours ago.

"Don't worry Nyow! I'm sure he's fine!" Felix hollered from in front of the small search party, being the optimistic person he usually was. This set her slightly at ease.

Julius on the other hand just grunted and continued his walk onward. Even though he didn't say anything, she could see it on his face. Something was wrong and he was worried.

Sniffing the air, Felix smiled. "He's nearby!" He hollered.

Quickly, Emilia made her way next to Felix. Trailing slightly behind, her anxiety seemed to be showing for Wilhelm put a hand on her shoulder and told her "I'm sure he's fine. He survived a battle with Hakugei, I'm sure he's just mentally exhausted." Wilhelm tried comforting her.

"I hope so." She responded. She halted immediately though, "Wait! Hakugei! Like the White Whale Hakugei!?"

This had started off a conversation to calm everyone's nerves. The main topic was Subaru, of course. Wilhelm had offered Emilia a chance to get to know what Subaru had been up to since Emilia and Subaru's fight. Which she gladly accepted.

Felix seemed keen to help out too, for he thought sounded fun to do. Felix started by telling her about how Subaru convinced Crusch and Anastasia to hunt down Hakugei. The deals he made and the other help he received.

Wilhelm then took over because it started getting personal. He explained that the battle had been orchestrated by Crusch, but Subaru did some of the leading. He explained that Subaru had saved him from death and helped achieve revenge on the demon.

Immediately Emilia questioned why he wanted revenge, to which he answered "For my Wife." She apologized and gave her condolences. But continued to ask about his wife.

Not one to shy away from telling his wife's story, he explained to her. How he met her while training, how she came everyday to watch him and the flowers, how when he became a night, she rescued him and revealed she was the Master Swordsman. How he was furious with her, how he forgave her and later became friends with her along with his colleagues. How he wed her. How she passed.

"I'm sorry if that was hard on you." Emilia apologized

"No, don't be sorry, I haven't talked about her in a long time. This is probably for the better." He replied.

Felix pitched in, "Yeah! He almost never talks about her! I haven't even heard this much until nyow!"

"So, what happened with Subaru after Hakugei?"

Julius continued for them, explaining how Subaru told them he needed to do something after this, with Wilhelm, Anastasia and Crusch offering their assistance. They sent Wilhelm, Felix, Julius and Mimi and Hetaro to assist him. A group of twenty or so soldier offered their assistance to, stating they owed him.

Julius described the battles one after another, noting Subaru's bravery in many situations and leaving out a few chosen details. Felix caught on, but decided to add in the part of Rem's 'Death' to get a stir of her and lighten the mood.

"What!?" Emilia practically yelled.

"It's true Nyo! She tricked him to say those words as a parting gift, Nyo!" Felix said with a giant grin, he could already see her mind working out ways to get back at Rem.

"Anyways," Julius interrupted, "We decided to split up and hunt them down one by one, until we surrounded the leader. That's where you come in. I believe you know the rest of the story."

Emilia nodded, feeling a sense of relief. It appeared that after their fight, Subaru just kept going. Helping more and more people along the way. She smiled, that was the Subaru she liked best.

"Thank you Julius, Felix, Wilhelm. It helped me out." She told them.

"The honor is mine, Lord Emilia." Julius said.

"Nyo, I'm happy to help! It's fun playing match up, Nyo!" Felix laughed as Emilia looked slightly confused.

* * *

The sky was purple, he noticed.

The sun was on the horizon with maybe an hour left and he still had a long trek ahead of him. He couldn't help but curse his luck. Everything was supposed to go perfectly but this traitor took it upon himself to rescue the imposter.

If he was still alive, he would have ripped the kid limb from limb.

Standing in a clearing, he looked at the flowers beneath him. Blue.

"Subaru?" A female voice called out.

"Hue?" He looked around, and spotted her. The Imposter. His smile was wide already.

Maybe his luck wasn't so bad after all?

Break

Emilia approached Subaru, with Felix and Julius following close behind. They seemed tense for some reason. "Subaru? Are you ok?"

The world spun for her, a feeling of weightlessness seemed to envelope her. It took her but a second for her tor realize what happened. She had been thrown into the air.

Falling at a fast, she forced Puck out. He didn't even need to be told what was going on as he worked to cushion her fall. Magic shields appeared around her as she tumbled.

"Emilia! Are you ok!?" Puck quickly asked in concern.

"Yes, just surprised is all. I'm sorry for calling you out like this." Emilia apologized. She sat up.

"That's no problem, that's what I'm here for." Puck Yawned, "I can't stay for long though, I'm tired and I don't have much in me to fight."

"That's no problem, I have other protecto-"

"Emilia!" Someone interrupted her. Looking up, she saw Felix face full of concern. "Are you ok!?"

"Yes, I'm fine! What happened!?" She called back. She got up and dusted herself off. Looking around, she saw a way back up. Puck had already drifted off so he couldn't do anything for her currently.

"I- I don't Nyow! Julius just threw you and then he was thrown into the forest! It looked like some shadow magic was in play!" He announced worriedly.

"OK, I'll be right there, just hold on!" She started making her trek upwards with haste.

'What are you doing Subaru?'

* * *

When Julius had thrown Emilia, he didn't mean to throw her as high as he did. Nor did he mean to throw her up, just pull her back. But in the spur of the moment, he body controlled itself. Though everything worked out in the end. Maybe.

He had been shot backwards to the Forest much to his surprise. It wasn't far but it still hurt.. a lot..

Not giving a moments notice, he got up ans sprinted back to Subaru's location. It wasn't hard at all to find where he impacted from. There was trees and branches that had toppled in his wake. Made him wonder how he wasn't dead. He was most likely injured somewhere.

Coming back into the clearing, he was just in time to watch Wilhelm fly, at a slower pace, into the forest. Locking sight with Subaru, he now understood why he was sent flying.

Multiple hands, all seeming to come from Subaru's back, surrounded him. They were made of pure black and purple. The same as described by Subaru a while back, when they fought the other Sloths. This made him wonder though, why was he able to see it now and not earlier?

Looking over, he saw Felix looking over a cliff. "Felix!? Where is Emilia?" He questioned.

"She's making her way to us, Nyo! She's fine, but please be careful next time, Nyo!" Felix responded.

"Will do!" Subaru's head snapped to Julius direction.

"Oh! Your alive!?" Subaru said, a grin making its way to his mouth as he tilted his head. His grin was quickly replaced as a upset look came upon him and he started walking in circles, "This is no good, no good indeed. I just bullied them without even introducing myself!" Subaru's head cracked to Julius direction. Bowing, he introduced himself "My name Betelgeuse Romanee-conti! I have a request of you if you don't mind?"

Without given the chance to answer, he spun around and started walking back and forth, "You see, I am low on amount of fingers I have in my possession right now, " he stopped and started counting off his fingers. "And I'm in need of a substitute. I had to borrow this poor boys body for the time being, and I can see that yours," He pointed at Julius, "Is rather, well, better than my current one! Would you like to become one of my fingers? We would just need to get rid of those pesky blessings!" He positioned his finger upon his chin.

"I decline, I rather like my Blessings. Now, if you'd be so kind as to leave my companions body, I would be greatful." Julius responded, drawing out his sword. This greatly upset him.

Slumping forward, Betelgeuse face was set in an upset frown. "Oh well, worth a shot!" He leaned all the way back, then shot forward, his hands propelling him. All the while a grin on his face.

Hands tried to grab on to Julius, but with each attempt, they were thoroughly cut through. But as the numbers started to dwindle though, the limbs got harder to cut though. Right, left, vertical, left. The slashes were quick and so we're the hands.

Then Subaru's possessed body did something he had expected. Aimed for his gut. The hands distracted him as the main body was thrown into the mix.

Julius blocked with the flat of the blade. Not expecting this, Betelgeuse was knocked back and kicked in the side of the head. Being sent back, Betelgeuse tried to gain his composure, but was hit with the bottom of the blade.

"Ugh, I need to stop trying to show off! My bad! Let's restart!" Betelgeuse hollered over the distance. Putting his hands behind his back, the hands started to re-emerge, looking darker somehow. "Now I'm ready! Please don't die quickly!"

Julius was about to lunge in, but caught himself. He was being fueled by anger. That was no way to fight, especially if he was trying to keep the body intact. He also had no doubt that if he ran in there now, he would be torn apart.

(OK, this part is cheesy. One important fact though is that this is almost what happened but with Julius instead. So please just bear with me.)

"Subaru?"

Glancing over, Emilia came through the foliage. A look of worry across her face.

* * *

The clearing was silent. The wind blew, blowing around everyone's hair. It was soon obvious that Subaru didn't hear her call, so she tried again. "Subaru?"

Again, he didn't answer, just stared, wide eyed.

"Subaru? Can you hear me?" She called, slightly more worried. She of course saw the appendages that surrounded him, and she knew it was anything but good news, but she still held onto hope. Hope that this was a new magic spell… or something. He always had surprises for her.

Glancing around, Subaru eyed her again. Then, with his left index finger, he pointed at himself and asked, "Are you talking to me?"

She nodded. Taking a step closer.

"I'm sorry Emilia. I had a feeling this would happen, but I was unsure and let this continue. This is my fault, I should take responsibility." Julius said as he drew his sword in front of him.

She stopped. A cold feeling gripped her. She looked over to Julius, "Explain."

Taking a deep breathe, he started explaining. "Apparently, the authority of Sloths, the leader of this batch of Cultists, can transfer bodies when one of his dies. We first thought that he gained the ability to transfer through gospels, given to the people with the likely hood of upholding the mantle. I don't know how he transferred to Subaru though."

Emilia breath caught in her throat. She felt the coldness wrap around her body. She stared at Subaru, disbelief overtaking her. This wasn't real to her.

"Subaru! Your in there and I know you are! Come out now!" She commanded. She was never one to order people around, but she couldn't think straight. She didn't know what else to do.

Twitching, Subaru looked over to her and laughed. He laughed hard. Acting like he was wiping a tear away, he said, "Ah, is that what you plan to do, imposter? Call out to your boyfriend? I'm afraid to tell you your love won't reach him! What your doing is futile!"

"Subaru! Your in there and I know it! You need to come here this instant!" Emilia yelled even louder. Julius stared at her, same as Felix and the limping Wilhelm.

"I told you, it is futile. What your doing is really embarrassing." Subaru's imposter said as he scratched his cheek.

"Subaru, I want you to come out right now! I want you to explain your relationship with Rem! I want you to come with me back to the mansion! I want you to work at the mansion and play with Puck again! I want you to teach the villagers new things! To show me more things from where your from! I-I need you to come home! I-i-i-i- need y-y-y-ypu t-to-" she started crying.

"Even I'm slightly touched by this… almost makes me feel bad for you. No matter! You will be with him shortly! Imposter!" _Betelgeuse_ laughed.

"I want you to come home because I love you!"

Crack

* * *

It was dark here.

That was the first thing he had noticed when he arrived. The second was the flood of memories and emotions. None of which were his.

A flash, and a grimace. Another feeling of despair. Another feeling of regret. Another of _Betelgeuse_ feelings flooded through him.

He had found out shortly that all these memories were his, and this is what Betelgeuse felt all the time. In the end, Subaru couldn't help but compare himself to him.

Subaru had friends that were as close as family to him, so did Betelgeuse. Subaru had once killed his loved one, and so did Betelgeuse. Subaru had once lost everything, and so did _Betelgeuse_.

He hated this fact. They were to similar.

The only difference was that Subaru had the chance to come back and fix that mistake, while Betelgeuse had to move forward. He had to continue his despair. Subaru couldn't help but feel sympathy for him.

Though Subaru still wouldn't forgive him. What Betelgeuse did was unforgivable. The extent of what he did had driven Subaru mad, making him attempt to kill Crusch (light novel).

But he couldn't find it in him to be mad anymore. Why he couldn't forgive him, being angry was senseless. Betelgeuse hadn't done anything yet, and he had fled far enough that nobody would find him. He had accomplished his goal of keeping everyone alive.

Feeling a sense of calmness, he noticed that he was sinking. Hands clawed at his pants and we're dragging him down. Whispers of comfort in his ears made him tired. He understood now.

This was death.

"Subaru!"

That was his name. He hadn't heard it in a good while. The best part, he knew who it was.

Crack

He looked around. Right, left, behind, up.

There, right above him, a light shined on him. A light in the darkness for him to follow.

Gripping the ground, he pushed himself up. The hands had had half of him before he started resisting. The great thing too, they didn't put up much of a fight.

"I need you!"

A crack, and another.

He ran climbed forward. Physics didn't matter in this place. As he got closer, he could hear more of her cries.

Crack

He reached the like. But he couldn't get through. It was like being trapped under water and ice was covering you escape. It was stressful.

Pounding against the light, it kept opening more and more, until

"I love you!"

White was for the first thing he would describe it. Not blinding, but a white like paper. A polar opposite of where he just was.

Moving forward, he heard the crunch of something. Looking down, blue flowers surrounded him. Subaru wasn't one for plants, but he had to admit, they were beautiful.

He was tempted to pick them up, but he had a job to do. He moved forward, until he saw him. A man, dressed in purple, looking over a pond. His gray eyes watching the ripples as they went by. It saddened him.

Putting a hand on his shoulder, Subaru told him "Let's finally give it a rest Betelgeuse. You've done all you can do. Please, let's end this."

Betelgeuse looked over and smiled, not his insane one, but a sad one. "I can't, Subaru. Satella needs me here. I love her." He looked down, "Why are you so loved?"

"Honestly, I'm not sure myself. I'm useless, don't have any remarkable abilities other than a killer work out system. I have bad grades, constantly make mistakes and bring everyone around me down when I screw up. I'm a horrible person and selfish to the core." Subaru looked up and smiled, "But to be completely honest, I understand how you feel. I have lost people I love too. So we need to end this."

Betelgeuse seemed genuinely sad. He smiled and saw a reflection, but not of them. A reflection of Fortuna.

"Do you think she'll forgive me? Will any of them forgive me?" Betelgeuse asked, a crack in his voice.

Subaru looked down, the reflection smiling back. "I'm not sure, but if Fortuna cared about you at all, I'm sure she'll forgive you." Subaru smiled again, "Sorry, are you ready?"

"Alright. But please go out in style. I've always wanted a amazing finale!" Betelgeuse said, almost like a kid.

Giving a thumbs up, he smiled and said, "I wouldn't have it any other way!"

Subaru went on ahead, as Betelgeuse knelt in prayer.

* * *

Subaru was back in control. The first thing he took notice of was Emilia, and hey tears.

He was going to hate himself for this part. This was such a good loop too.

"I love you too, Emilia." She stopped crying. She froze as the arms slowly disappeared. His smile immediately relaxing her troubled mind.

She got up, but he made the universal sign of "stop".

"At first glance I was in love with you. Even though you won't remember, you helped me when I arrived here and even tried to shield me from you by lying to me. Even if it hurt you. You are truly selfless and any man would be luck to have you. Your beautiful And no matter what people say you're the coolest person I've ever met." He declared.

"Wah?"

Looking over, he spotted Wilhelm crouched over. It looked like he was in pain. "Wilhelm, while we may not have known each other for very long, I enjoyed every minute I talked to you. You are amazing with the sword and I'm honored to have you teach me how to wield one!" Subaru hollered.

Wilhelm nodded, confusion sprayed out across his face.

Subaru's eyes caught with Emilia. He could see the confusion in them, good.

Watching Felix, he seemed upset. Seemed he caught on. Good. He could stop Emilia. "Felix, Ferris, or whatever you call yourself. I want you to know that, even though you were a jerk sometimes, you are one of the greatest healers I've ever seen. That may not be much coming from me, but your still amazing. You are loyal to no end, and are one of the greatest friends I've ever made. Thank you for believing in me! Also, tell Crusch to have a drink for me. Never got to have one before."

Felix giggled sadly, but nodded nonetheless.

Next was Julius. He seemed to know what was about to happen too. Good. Gives Emilia less time to react. "Julius, I know we had are ups and downs, and I was a complete asshole when we first met, again I'm sorry for that, but I'm happy we made up. I didn't get to know you long enough, but I can see your loyalty has no bounds. You showed me respect even when everything was said and done. You are one of the most awesome people I know! Thank you!" Subaru choked.

Subaru bit back his tears. He couldn't help it, even though he knew that'll restart again, he didn't want to say goodbye. It hurt, to die and see the pain on their faces. He didn't want them to forget.

Taking a deep breath, he said one last thing. "I LOVE ALL OF YOU!"

Then he nodded towards Julius, who ran at him. Emilia, finally understanding what was about to happen, went up and started running to intercept Julius. Felix tried to stop her, but failed.

Wilhelm tried to move, a feeling of Déjà vu kicking in but he couldn't do much.

* * *

Emilia screamed. It hurt so much.

As she laid him in her arms, she cried. His face covered with a smile. A long gash extended from his heart to the other side of his waist. Tears fell from her eyes uncontrollably.

The others had left a long time ago. Not far from her, but far enough that she could let out her sorrow in peace.

"Someone, does anyone want to explain that was?" Wilhelm voiced in hate.

"Subaru was possessed." Came a simple answer from Felix. He was leaning against a tree and looking down. Apparently the loss got to him.

"I know that! But why did you kill him!? He was perfectly talking before you swing your sword through him!" Wilhelm yelled at Felix.

"Please, don't yell. The reason we killed him was because he was possessed. There is no way to remove a spirit from a host without doing some really nasty work. You should know this Wilhelm." Julius said with a straight face. While the loss hit him, he still had a job to do. Protect Emilia.

"Ugh. There had to be another way!"

"There is, but someone else would have to die. I don't think Subaru would want that. Nor would I have allowed it." Felix said.

"This still upsets me greatly. We just killed someone's lover in front of them." Wilhelm said, brushing his hair back.

* * *

Times Square, one of the busiest places in New York. The honk of a horn, the Blair of a distant siren. The yell if some random pedestrian. The all out annoyance of the world and people just combined into one place.

Miles loved it.

Almost as much as being Spider-Man. Chewing on the subway sandwich he just bought, he sat with Ms. Marvel and Nova. It had been awhile since the last of them ever chatted with this whole Civil War thing going on.

That's why they had made a deal, every Saturday, they would take a break from the Civil War and be teens (in there eyes fight crime together). This was encouraged by everyone. Including individual commanders.

Tony had said that they were to young for this, which they disagreed with, but Danvers agreed with.

A loud pop sound was heard. A cry as something crashed. And a scream for help. Signs of someone being naughty.

"Dibs!" Spider-Man yelled as he jumped off the ledge without warning. Not giving enough time for Nova and Ms. Marvel to argue back.

He swung around, and saw what the emergency was.

Was one of the most interesting things in his life.

* * *

OK, first off, first fanfic I've ever cared about, so criticism (not just blindly saying you suck) is welcomed. Second, I'm sorry that this chapter was horribly written. I wanted to avoid being close to the Canon version because at the time I didn't want people to be spoiled. It's close to the Canon version, but isn't at the same time.

Thirdly, this story will be like a marvel comic series. It will go arc by arc, until it runs out of material. I'm not going to make it bland, there is going to be character development and I have decided how I want to end in (have it all planned out), so it's not like it's gonna be a whole lot of one shots. Problem is, I need help getting there.

So, I am open to ideas with this story. Give me anything you think that'll be cool and I'll try working with it. I'll credit you took so don't worry about that.

Another thing, Subaru's revival. This won't be as much of a thing as it is in Re:Zero, but will make appearances here and there. I'm not great at solving puzzles (love them still though) so it's hard for me. I'll still try though.

Also, if I get a characters age wrong or personality is wrong, tell me. This project is to help me with my main writing with characters interactions, so it'll help!

Thanks and catch you later!


	2. Do You Remember?

It was weird, floating in this void. The darkness all encompassing, but not suffocating. No sound was made, yet at the same time it felt like he could hear everything. An eternity in Shadow, yet he felt no need nor want to escape this prison. It was a paradise of rest and relaxation. No end and no beginning, for why would anyone wish to escape her sweet embrace.

It would last though, as a loud thud awoke him. He was quick to rise, and fall. His head hitting the desk next to him, as the class laughed at his misfortune. Groaning, he glared through hazel eyes at his attacker.

But quickly relented as the teacher glared back. Nervously he got up as the teacher sent some uncouth words his way. Reprimanding him for sleeping in class. He nodded his head, each insult being taken in stride. It wasn't like it meant anything to him, all she did was teach him biology. What else did he need to know besides the birds and the bees? It wasn't like he would need to know vital points in the body anyways.

Sometimes he wished he wasn't even enrolled here. The school was a mediocre one at best. That's what happens when you don't study your ass off for that exam to enter you to one of the best schools in the country. One shot, and you mess it up- BAM! There goes your future.

He let out a sigh. He shouldn't let it get to him. It's not like he disappointed anyone. His mother had just responded with "Oh well!" And his dad just told him "You did your best! Now let's get some exercise!"

Why they didn't punish him he would never know. It irritated him, he didn't know why, but it did.

He had to suppress a yawn as the teacher drowned on. Some students were jotting down notes while others were doing there best not to fall asleep. They had taken a lesson from him it seemed. Looking around, he did his best to recall names, but it was difficult.

Why would you remember someone's name if they weren't your friend?

It might have been pessimistic of him to think like that, but it was true. Either from his constant depression at his failure or attitude towards others, he found it hard to communicate with his fellow students. It wasn't like he was mean, he just didn't act normal around others. He found it hard to be cheery around them for some reason.

His eyes continued to scan the room. Slowly, Temo, Katsu, Tetami, names continued to make their way to the proper faces. Ram, Arima, E-

Wait, what?

He looked again and rubbed his eyes. On the other side of the room, near the back door sat a girl, long white hair across the length of her back one side braided while the rest lied flat on her back. The black uniform complimenting her pale skin and black eyes. She sat with her back straight as she read her black book intensely. She was beautiful.

But when did she transfer here?

Almost like she felt him staring at her, she turned her head towards him. He did his best to act like he wasn't staring, but it became increasingly hard as she stared at him. It was like she was peering into his soul. Although he had the distinct feeling she wasn't glaring at him.

Cautiously he turned back, and he pleasantly surprised she wasn't glaring at him. Rather than that she was holding up a price of paper, the Kanji for "Lunch" spelled out across it for all to see, making her intentions obvious. Some others had taken notice of it, but paired it no mind. They saw where she was looking.

This was a surprise for him. A pleasant one but still a surprise. Again, he wasn't all that social, but he was never reclusive. If one wanted to spend time with him, he would gladly humor.

Giving the smallest of smiles, he nodded to her. Surprisingly, or not considering she had invited him and him accepting, she beamed. Her smile seemed to stretch until it resembled that of a U.

Class passed relatively quickly after that. It had only been the beginning of the day, and those are usually the classes he enjoyed (after Biology of course). There wasn't a repeat of his nap incident, partly because he didn't want to be laughed at and partly because he was nervous about lunch. He knew he had no reason to be, but his imagination got the Best of him. He couldn't help but imagine this leading to more than just chatting. Maybe life long friends or even lovers, as unrealistic as it was.

As the bell rung signaling the long awaited break, he made to get up but was stopped as the white haired girl barreled her way to the desk in front of him. She practically ripped the poor guy in front of him out of his chair. She turned the chair around to face him as she slammed both her black book and bento box in front of him. This startled him.

It wasn't like she was angry either, she still had her coy smile on her face. It was like she was a kid in a build a bear workshop. Why she was so excited escaped him, but if she was happy he should be too.

"Now!" She started, smiling while talking. Even her voice seemed to express unlimited joy. He would be the first to admit it was contagious. "Before we begin, do you remember what happened?"

Now, that brought him some confusion. What and why would she start with that? Shouldn't she start with "Hey, what's your name?" Or "My name is Inori." Or something like that? Not what she just said.

"Um… no?" He asked more than answered. He wasn't sure what to say. Maybe he should had lied, for as soon as he said that, her face contorted into that of depression. It was brief, but he saw it before she hid it behind her mask. "Was I… supposed to remember something?"

"No, never mind that. If you can't remember, then I'll just try again next time." He wanted to ask more, but before he could, she sat down and crossed her arms. She somehow still retained her cheer. "And before you ask, no I'm not going to give you a hint. When you remember, talk to me, alright?"

"Sure?" He said. She gave a cheer filled nod before leaning toward and pushing her bento towards him. She smiled at him as he gave her a confused look.

"For you!" She closed her eyes, giving him that innocent sort of look. "I made it myself with you in mind, so I hope you enjoy it!"

"What!?" He all but screamed. This drew some attention from those who heard her while others looked at him with slight curiosity. The usually silent boy in the back if the class making a sound was unusual. Lowering his head, his face red, he glared at the overly cheerful girl. "What do you mean you 'Made this with me in mind.'"

"Well, I would think that would be obvious! I made that while thinking of you." She leaned on her hand, looking like she was enjoying this a little to much. "I had hoped it would show you how much I L-O-V-E you."

That was it. In a span of 3 minutes, this girl had managed to make him into a blubbering mess. Continuously he sputtered as the platinum haired bueaty giggled into her hand. This lasted for more than a minute before she calmed herself.

"That never gets old." She said as she leaned on her hand, her smile never leaving her face. "Sorry, but I couldn't help myself. You looked cute so I thought I'd tease you."

It took a minute, but he did his best to calm himself. "Yeah funny for you maybe. Teasing a man's heart like that could never end well, you know?" She just smiled some more. "Also, I've been called a lot of things, but cute is a new one."

"Really? I would have thought it would be common for you by now. I mean you do have the looks." She said as she laid her chin on her tangled fingers. She had to stifle the giggle that threatened to escape her mouth as his face turned a darker shade of red. "Well, what do they call you then? Handsome?"

"I wish." He laid his chin on his desk. For some reason he felt at peace with her, as weird as that sounded. "The tend to call me 'Scary Eye's' or 'Delinquent' because of my eyes. Truly is a drag."

"They're not that far from the truth." She teased. She giggled a little when he laid his head face down on the desk with a groan. "Sorry, sorry! Went a little overboard, huh?"

"No, I'm just tired is all." Subaru sat up and nudged at the bento. The Girl gave him a nod to his unspoken question. He opened it and started eating. He had to admit, it was good! "So, what about you? What made you want to eat with me? Why Don't you eat with other girls? I mean with your looks you could get into the popular girls clique."

"Hmm, well for one thing, looks matter little to me." She honestly responded. He nodded, everything was not about looks, there was also personality. "Besides, I tried one time and all they did was gossip. Boys, making fun of other girls, and even talking about how weird you were."

"They talked about me?" He asked, a little surprised. He knew some people talked about him, but for a group of girls to talk about him, that was different. For every guy, if a group of girls talk about them, it's like being stabbed in the back with every insult. It's also like riding a Lamborghini with each compliment. "What did they say? It's ok if you have some girl code and can't tell me though."

"Ha! Like I would keep their secrets for them. They're a bunch of ants that need pest control to weed them out." The analogy was rough, but he got the gist of it. "They didn't say anything kind, that's for sure. They mostly talked about how creepy you are. They complained that you read to much manga and light novels. Called you a delinquent and such."

He couldn't help but hang his head. That was a little depressing. Sure, he read a lot of Manga and Light Novels, but they're good! What other sort of media has a fantasy world that focuses on the politics of it while still uncovering a mystery. It was wonderful.

"That's why I left them. They're just a group of bullies. I would rather be with the awkward kid in the back than with a group of hypocrites." That seemed to cheer him up, her smile widened.

"Well, thank you. I just hope you don't get teased like I do." His teasing wasn't bad, but it was still bordering bullying at times. "Also, I gotta ask. Are you new here?"

"Huh?" Oh, this was new. She smiled as she leaned on her hands some more. "Well, no. I've been here for a long time. I just never really came to school."

"Oh." He replied. He couldn't tell if she was lying or not. But why would she? "Ok, then what about your hair? Is that dyed or something? If not, you did a good job, it looks real."

"My, you do know it's rude to inquire on a ladies looks." She teased. He flushed and made to apologize before she raised a hand. "It's alright, it was merely a jest." She smiled at him. This was new. Very new. "My hair is not dyed. I am naturally this color."

"That's actually pretty cool." It wasn't a flirt, but it still gave her the slightest tinge on her cheeks. The innocence he possessed was too much for her. "It also looks good on you. I can tell you're definitely going to age well."

The tinge on her cheeks turned a darker shade of red. She was usually more composed than this. It shouldn't even faze her, for her looks held no Merit to her. If she were to fall for someone, it should be by personality, not by petty compliments.

Maybe this was all just getting to her and she sought after solace in him. That must be it. This needed to end soon.

"That has little benefits for me, I suppose. It's only natural that I appear attractive, if only to some." She said, her words having reason which was lost on him.

"Hey, what is that book anyways?" He nudged his head to the oversized book. From afar it was hard to tell, but up close he could tell it wasn't a school book. Its hard cover was pure black, almost like a black hole, and it was in pristine condition. "Is it some oversized journal or something?"

"I… Suppose it would be close to a Journal." She smiled. This had been asked before, but she never bore of this particular conversation. "I would rather call it a textbook with all of the worlds answers. How to solve world hunger, cure cancer, escape loops, and the like."

He gave her a look that said "Are you stupid?" Even as she watched him eat, he could tell she wasn't joking. Unless she was a superhero, he doubted this was in the least bit true.

"So, if I were to look inside it right now, it could answer all my questions?" He asked. She gave him a smile, again and shook her head.

"Well, yes, but if you did so I have no doubt you would be driven mad. Not anyone can look into this book, and even if you did manage to retain your sanity I doubt you would love long to use that knowledge."

A silence overtook them. He looked at her with a look of absolute disbelief. Why would a book that gave you answers to everything drive him mad? Unless…

"So your mind would be overrun with answers?" He guess. She smiled, as she dragged the book towards herself, out of his reach.

"Yes. Well, close enough. It is unexplainable even for me. While I understand what happens, explaining it is just as difficult as explaining how the world began." She finished as she sat her book on her lap. While he didn't believe her, this was a good idea. What if he wrote about this? A story about a book with all the answers but no one could voice them. It would be interesting at least.

"In guessing you are able to read it then?" He questioned. She smiled with a nod. He gave a coy smile as he leaned in. "Alright, I wanna know something. Could you answer that?"

"Of course, but it does come with a price." She smiled. She knew he most likely wouldn't be able to fulfill his end of the bargain. He gave a nod, causing her to grab the books cover, getting ready to read. "What would you like the answer to?"

"What's your name?"

Now… that was a surprise. Taking her hand off her book, she couldn't help but giggle a little too loudly. It was unexpected. Out of all of them, this was the first to ask for her name. Maybe he might be the one. Smiling, she leaned on her hands again.

"You do know how to flatter a girl. Asking her name other than asking for the answers to the world."

"I can't help it. I wanted to know, and I don't really fight against my gut that much."

"A good trait, but we will need to work on it still." She sat up, her smile widening. "I do wish your name first though. It is common courtesy for the gentlemen to introduce themselves first."

"Ah, pulling that card so early huh?" He smiled at her before standing up. One arm pointed up while the other down; his legs stretched out. "My name is Natsuki Subaru! Now, what is your name?"

She smiled as she stood, holding her book to her chest. She bowed and rose.

"My Name is Echidna. I am the Witch of Greed. Glad to make your acquaintance, Natsuki Subaru."

* * *

'Echidna, huh?' Subaru thought as he trudged through the snow on the way home. Apparently Snow Removal had came for the road today and not the sidewalk, making the walk home difficult. It also didn't help that he had to walk up hill. Why was everything so difficult. 'She was cute, if not a little weird. Although I do like quirky girls so there's that.'

After they had introduced themselves, the bell for lunch to end rang. After school Echidna promised to bring some tea for tomorrow, to celebrate a new friendship. Apparently she was obsessed with tea, but how she talked about it was any indication.

Personally he wasn't all that crazy for it, but some hot tea during winter sounded nice. Especially at school. Oh everyone is gonna be jealous.

"Here." Subaru muttered. His house was nothing special. Simple two story house with a gate cameras everywhere and two garages. One smaller than the other. Most would call it fancy, but the reason he didn't consider it special was because if it's placement. "Stupid slope."

He fumbled with his key for a second before opening the door. He walked in and immiedetly saw his mom and dad on the couch. Mom was sleeping and dad hadn't even noticed his entrance. He would in a second, but what would happen if he was a burglar?

Taking off his shoes, he made his way to the living room. Behind it was a dining room table. Off to the side was the staircase leading up to the second floor and down to the basement. As he turned to go up the stairs, he heard his dad welcome him home, to which Subaru responded in kind.

Making his way to his room, he was created to a overly clean room. Most likely his moms doing. She had a knack for going overboard with cleaning and last he remembered it was a cluster of papers and cups. He had a habit of hoarding cups of water in his room. It brought him comfort.

There was a bed on one side of the room and desk on the other. The desk had a computer on it, which was convenient for gaming and research. Half of the time he spent at that desk though was him doing homework.

While he hadn't made it into the school of his dreams, he still enjoyed learning. Doing his best to make up for his failure and keeping up with the friends that did succeed in entering. It brought him slight joy whenever he realized he was close behind his friends, no matter how far.

The rest of the night was spent studying and playing game until dinner.

"How was school, Subaru?" His mom asked. It was a routine by now for his parents to keep up with him at school. While most families found it useful for small talk, his parents actually enjoyed the happenings of the school. "Anything new, or exciting?"

"Actually, yeah." Subaru responded, slight cheer in his voice. He didn't need to look up from his plate to understand he had gained their attention. "There was this new transfer student."

"Really?" Dad responded this time. He seemed interested. "What's her or his name?"

"Echidna." Subaru said, his dad looked at him skeptically. "What?"

"Nothing, I just find it weird someone was named after an Ant Eater." He shook his head as he swallowed a piece of meat. "People these days."

"Really hunny?" Mom gave dad a look. "You wanted to name our son 'Toyota'."

"Yeah, and he ended up with Subaru, which I remind you us also a star." Dad replied, defending the second name.

"At least it's better than Subar-Car." Subaru responded, making a bad joke that his Dad gagged at. It was a normal thing for the two of them to go through this song and dance. It was a little game they played.

"How about Subar-Star?" Dad said, as Subaru gagged. That was just as Subar-Car, if not worse. Subaru wouldn't let this go though.

"How about Subar-Tire? I think that would have better, if I'm to be honest." His dad gagged.

"Son, we need to teach you some better jokes."

"Sorry I took after you." Subaru bit at him, grinning as his dad flustered.

"Why you!" Suddenly, Dad got up, his grin wide and a sparkle in his eye. Walking around the table, Subaru made an effort to defend himself, taking a Jung Fu stance. As his dad reached out to grab him, Subaru slapped his hand. "You Prick! That hurt!"

"Honey, watch your mouth."

"Mwhahaha! You can never stop my Subar-Fu!" Subaru said as he hopped back and forth on his feet. Subaru faltered though when he saw his Four-Eyed dad grin widened. "Subar-Fu?"

Suddenly, his feet was taken from under him. Before he could land on his face though, his dad caught his arm and pulled him into a neck lock, all in one move.

"Don't underestimate a professional Martial Artist Subaru! You may have picked up some things from me, but you have a long way to go before you can beat me!" Dad said as he gave him a noogie causing Subaru squirm. "I call it Kenichi-Fu!"

"That's a dumb name, Kenichi." Mom said, dropping the Honey thing. Wait, why wad she calling him Honey in the first place? She never called him that! "I think Subar-Fu is better. Has a nice ring to it."

"You know how to wound me, Naoko!" Kenichi groaned as he let go of Subaru. Said teen slumped back into his chair. Kenichi went back to his seat and continued eating. Naoko made a 'Hm' sound before looking at Subaru.

"So, as you were saying about this Echidna?" To this, Subaru sat up. He gave a sigh.

"Well, during class, she w-" Before he could continue, Kenichi slammed his hands on the table, a look of shock on his face. M

"SHE!" Kenichi all but yelled, shocking both wife and son. "A new transfer student and it's a she! Naoko! Don't you see where this is leading!?" She just gave him a confused look. "He is talking about her at DINNER TIME! Our son is setting up Flags! At his age!?"

"Shut up." Was Naoko responded, Kenichi falling back in his chair, depressed that his wife told him to Shut Up. Looking at Subaru, Naoko smiled. "Care to continue?"

"Uh, sure?" Subaru said, unsure if he should. He knew that this wouldn't be the last of his dad's outbursts. "So, when I was looking around class, I spotted her and she help up a piece of paper asking if I wanted to have lunch with her." His dad's glasses became a one way mirror, how was he doing that? "I accepted and we ate."

Purposefully Subaru left out the parts of the Bento and the book. He didn't want to give his parents the impression that she was a loony. His dad leaned forward, intertwining his fingers.

"So, what would you say she looks like?" Kenichi asked. Naoko gave a glare, while Subaru gave him a look a suspicion. His dad, while in his forties, still had great looks. Great enough that most of the girls at his school had a minor crush on him. Naoko took notice of it, but her reasoning was that as long as he didn't touch any other girl, she didn't mind others looking.

"Well, she has white hair, Black eyes and pale skin." Subaru responded as Kenichi hummed.

"Interesting." Kenichi responded as he straightened his back. "Alright, it's decided. I'm heading to school with you tomorrow."

"What!? No!?" This time, it was Subaru who slammed his hand on the table. "You're not going to school with me just because some girl talked to me! Besides, what are you going to do anyways? Talk her to death!?"

"If course I'm going to school with you!" Kenichi said as he grinned. "I need to see if this 'Echidna' actually exists! And if she does, I want to evaluate her! No one is going to date my son without my permission!" Kenichi said as Subaru hung hid head. He knew the his dad wouldn't budge once he set his mind to something. "Besides, I've been wanting to try out my High School uniform again! You know, for cosplay purposes!"

"No! You are not going to my school in a High School Uniform!" Subaru yelled. "Do you know how embarrassing that would be!? I'd be the laughing stock of the school!"

"I don't know…" Naoko said, bringing attention to herself. A trickle of blood leaving her nose. "I wouldn't mind seeing that."

"Keep your fantasies to yourself Mom!" Subaru yelled, as Kenichi grinned. "I am not going to allow you to do that in a school uniform! That's the worst thing you could do to a kid who doesn't have much friends!"

It wasn't not secret that Subaru had no friends, even to his parents. They had tried their best to help him, but it was difficult. Something about Subaru just scared people off. This was partly the reason why Kenichi wanted to go to the school. To see if Subaru was bullshitting them.

"Alright, alright." Kenichi relented, as he stood up, his smile never leaving his face. "I believe it's your turn to do the dishes Subaru? Thank you Naoko for the dinner! I'm going out for a jog!" With that, he ran like a bat out of hell.

"Wait! I did the dishes Last night! It's your turn!" Subaru yelled out the front door as he heard Kenichi laughing down the street. "Bastard!" Sighing, he went to grab the dishes before Naoko stopped him.

"It's alright Subaru, I'll do them tonight. You just relax." Naoko smiled as Subaru thanked her.

Making his way to his room, he gave it another look over. Bed across from the door, window at the head rest. Desk to his right. Closet to his left. Completely normal.

What was not normal was the ticking sound.

It was a constant. Every few seconds, a tick wound sound off. Subaru would have brushed it off as it was His clock, but his clock was alarm clock. It doesn't make tick sounds.

Cautiously, Subaru closed the door. It was easier to here the tick now. Walking to the center of the room, he listened closely. It wasn't coming from his left, it was coming from his right. Checking his desk, there was nothing that could make a tick sound.

"What the hell is that sound!" Subaru grunted as he picked himself up off the ground. It was driving him nuts. A sudden thunk brought his attention to the window. As dark as it was outside, he could see a small dot hitting the window. "Pebble?"

Walking over to the window he looked out. Another tick and another pebble fell to the ground.

'Could this be…' Subaru couldn't help but his mind wander. Maybe this was someone just trying to play a trick on him. Maybe this was someone who was trying to get his attention. Echidna? 'No, she doesn't even know where I live."

Another tick. It was starting to annoy him. Shouldn't whoever was doing this realize they got his attention? Taking a deep breath, he prepared himself for whatever the hell was about to happen.

Opening the window, he was met with a pebble in his eye.

"The Fuck!" Subaru was never one to really curse, but when you get a pebble stuck in your eye, you tend to let loose a few crass words. Pulling himself together, he got up. Leaning half of his body out the window, he let his words fly. "The hell are you doing!? First you annoy the hell out of me by throwing pebbles at my window, and then you throw a pebble at my eye!? What th-"

Whatever he was about to say was interrupted a by a sudden force hitting his stomach. Stumbling back, he held his stomach. It was like he just got hit in the gut. He could make out the sound of water dripping on the ground beneath him.

Looking down, he could see what exactly was making that sound. It didn't take a genius to figure out between the spreading of the red liquid beneath and around his stomach what had happened.

He'd been shot.

He hadn't realized it, but he could feel it. The unbearable pain as the bullet was stuck inside him. The agony he felt as two strangers made their way into his room, one shouting at the other. The fear he felt for what was to come.

'Is this the end?'

Subaru wasn't sure when, but he found himself on the ground, holding the wound. He did his best to yell, to warn his mother, but no sound besides wheezing made their way out. Even as he watched the two intruders made their way to him, he couldn't make a noise.

He could barely hear them.

"You said we weren't going to kill anyone!" A voice, resembling that of a female, spoke. She(?) Pushed her comrade, apparently angry. "Now look at what you done! It was a simple robbery! Nothing else!"

"I freaked out, ok!? How was I supposed to know that he would start yelling at us!? I thought we could just spook him and he would surrender! That's it!" A male said, his voice cracking as he waved a gun at Subaru.

"Well, I guess that makes everything better!" The Girl yelled, as she looked sadly at Subaru. "What do we do now?"

"The only thing we can do." The male responded. He stood over Subaru, his gun pointed at him. "If you can hear me; I'm sorry. I didn't mean for this to happen. I will make sure no one in this household suffers like you."

The man hesitated, Subaru's vision already darkening. Fear made him wheeze. Fear made him cry. Fear made him glare. He didn't want to die. His family was in danger, and he couldn't do anything to help them.

Tick

* * *

The Void was dark. Strangely it was also warm. He felt no cold, nor did he feel worry or fear. No joy or sadness. No anger or pleasure. All encompassing, with no end in sight. For why would anyone want to escape her embrace?

Thud.

A sudden bang brought Subaru to his senses. Looking around, he was on the ground, the class laughing at him. His Biology teacher glared down at him as sg voiced her opinions of his sleeping habits.

Sitting back at his desk, he watched at the Teacher went back to business, explaining away about something on the body.

Was that a dream just now?

No, it wasn't. It couldn't have been. It should have been, but the pain was all to real.

He could feel it now, the blood seeping through his fingers as he tried to stop the bleeding. Fear for what awaited him and his mother, who did the dishes downstairs. His father, for when he got home, two dead bodies that he would once call Wife and Son.

It had happened, but it hasn't.

He didn't know how, but he knew, in her gut that it hasn't happened yet.

Wait!

Snapping hid head to his right, he could see it. The knowing smile of the platinum haired witch that leaned her head on her hand. A piece of paper with the words she had asked countless times before.

"Do you Remember?"

* * *

 **Please, if you have any questions; I will do my best to answer them!**

 **Ok, back when I started this a year ago, I had wrote off of instinct. Sort of like I do now, but I did it out of "What would be cool?**

 **"Now I'm writing it in a way that would make sense. Last chapter I never said what that light was, and It'll be explained later on.**

 **I mostly wanted to continue this because there was a desire to. But I do have to ask; Is this at all good? For those people who followed this all that time ago, do you like it?**

 **If so, I must warn you, not everything is planned out. I have this and a few meet ups planned, but that is about it. So if there is delay, it's probably that.** **One last thing before I go! This world is Ultimate Marvel (Comics Version)! I will throw in some main stream heroes, but it isn't as populated. I enjoyed that realistic feel Ultimate Marvel had. So with that said, how would you feel about Young Justice x Ultimate Marvel (Comics Version) x Zero?**

 **It isn't set in stone, but I wanted to do it sense those two spin off universes are so grounded and realistic that it draws me into both and was hard to decide. I also Don t want to disappoint anyone so I would like to hear everyone's opinion.**

 **I should let you know that I have the whole Young Justice x Ultimate Marvel (Comics version) planned out. The world wouldn't be shoved together, they would have a natural coexistence that makes sense. Some hero's hate others, while some like each other. Like, let's say, Spider-Man hates Black-Spider for stealing his equipment. Doctor Fate and Doctor Strange have a semi rivalry for sorcerer supreme. And the Punisher is on a constant man hunt for Slade and The Red Hood.**

 **Please, I would like to hear everyone's opinion!**


	3. Biting the Bullet

Echidna was ecstatic.

She was so happy that when Subaru had nodded his head (in fear mind you), she had dragged him out of class. She could still hear the whistles of the class and the teacher yelling at them to come back as she ran down the hall with the biggest grin on her face.

Being at the top floor of the school building had its perks. Same with the bottom floor, there was two vending machines that greeted you if you were to walk up/down the stairs. One was mostly a tea machine while the other was a soda machine.

She had learned to enjoy the little things during her time in the loops.

Putting some yen into the Vending Machine, she pushed the button for Green Tea. She wasn't all that picky, for it was more of a pleasure than a necessity. Her body didn't need to consume nor did her body ingest it. She had found that it dissipated while traveling through her intestine. That was just one of the many perks to being a Witch.

"What would you like?" Echidna asked, to which Subaru failed to respond to. A response wasn't needed, she just found it to be more polite than anything. She already knew what he liked. Pushing the button for Black Tea, she waited for the cans to fall. Turning around, she gazed at the somber sight for just a moment.

Subaru sat with his back to the wall, staring emotionlessly at the ground. Apparently realizing that he actually did die hit harder than it should have. It made her wonder; What exactly happened that caused him to be so down?

'Oh, how I can't wait to find out!' She thought with glee, eager to talk about last loops ending.

"Here," She said, placing the Black Tea on his cheek. The cold sensation caused him to flinch. Glaring at her, he took the drink. Sitting next to him, she cracked open her own tea as did Subaru his. "See? Not so bad, right? I was able to learn about what you liked in one of the past loops, if you recall?"

It was a question.

"No, I don't 'recall.'" Subaru responded, his voice carrying with it a edge of disdain. Echidna didn't bother to look into it though; she already knew why. Drinking some more if the cold drink, he glared at her from the corner of his eye. "I'm guessing that's why the Bento tasted so good? Normally I wouldn't like Squid, but you somehow made it taste bearable."

"My, you do know how to flatter a girl." Echidna smiled, as always. Her smile annoyed Subaru now that he knew the reason behind it. "But as you can tell, I'm not any ordinary girl. You're gonna have to try harder than that to please me." She took another sip of her tea. "To answer your question, yes. During my time, I had found the sweet spot for every taste bud in that luscious mouth of yours."

"Don't call my mouth luscious." Subaru barked out bitterly, his anger flaring slightly. Taking a few seconds to calm himself down, he took another swig, savoring the bitter drink. Glancing at her, he could see that annoying smile as she watched him with the joy of a predator ready to pounce on its unsuspecting prey. "How many loops did it take you to learn those skills? Ten?"

"Give or take a thousand." She responded, causing Subaru to cough. She giggled, which would have sounded cute, but to Subaru it just grated on his rising annoyance and anger. "What? You expect me to learn how to cook for you in just a few days? You have to be a little bit more realistic than that."

"What I expect you to do is warn me that burglars are going to kill me!" Subaru grounded out. "I expect you to help me, each loop, and warn me of every occurrence in which I die!" Her smile just widened. "I expect you to defend me, witch!"

Her smile vanished.

Sighing, Echidna's anger being touched at the prospect of being called a 'Witch.' Normally, it wouldn't have bothered her since that's what she was- a Witch. But it was usually out of respect, not used as a derogatory term. Taking a drink, she forced herself to calm down.

"What good would it have done to warn you?" Echidna said, swirling the tea in its can. It had this calming effect Echidna couldn't put her finger on. "Tell me, what happened ten loops ago?"

What was this? Was she quizzing him on his own life? This was ridiculous!

"What does that have to do with anything!?" Subaru spoke louder, bordering a yell. Echidna glared at him for this, to which Subaru lowered the volume for his voice. "We are still in the same loop, with no way to leave until we deal with these pricks!"

"Just answer the question." She commanded. It was irritating to go through this every time. Subaru groaned, but followed her orders anyways.

"Well, I…" Subaru paused. What did happen ten loops ago? Didn't he get hit by a car? Was she even there? No, none of that happened. He couldn't remember what happened.

"Alright, a different question then." She rose two fingers up. "What happened two loops ago?"

The question was simple enough; recount something that happened prior a day or two ago. Yet as they sat there in silence, why was it that Subaru couldn't remember? Nothing, no matter how much he tried, Subaru could think of nothing of the past two days.

"Do you understand now?" Echidna asked in a 'I know everything' tone. "Final question, What would you have done if I told you, you could rewind time upon your death?"

Subaru kept silent, for the answer was obvious. He wouldn't have believed a word that came from her lips. He would have probably considered her a weirdo, or a chuunibyou or something of a equivalent.

"You and I both know how it would end, Subaru." Echidna sighed, her smile returning. "You would have called me nuts, ignored me, or laugh it off. Believe me, I have tried."

"Oh, and how can I believe that?" Subaru whispered bitterly. He had no reason, other than the fact that she let him die countless times, to distrust her, but it still stung knowing that she let him die.

"Have I lied to you, Subaru?" Echidna bit back, a little angry at his rudeness at which he spoke to her. "While I find your reasoning to hate me palatable, do not let your wrath cloud your judgment. I have no reason to lie to you, for I wish for these loops to end too."

Well, that made her a hypocrite. While did she wish for this loop to end, it wasn't like she was disliking it so much. She enjoyed the scenarios that played out in each loop, constantly changing, but she wished for it to end and move on.

Believe it or not, Echidna had seen enough of the same ending that it has become stale. She craved for a new setting.

Subaru let out a breath. He knew deep down that he should forgive her, but he couldn't. It was her fault that they were stuck in a loop to begin with. If she claimed she was a Witch, wouldn't she have some sort of power? Like cursing people?

"Say, how many loops have we been through?" Subaru asked. Echidna smiled, her cheer back if only a little.

"I lost track when we hit a million, but I can check The Book of Wisdom if you want?" Echidna offered. To say Subaru wasn't surprised would be the greatest understatement of the year.

Over a million loops? Over a million deaths, never to end because some girl let it happen. He didn't know if she had any abilities, but if she could remember each loop, wouldn't she have some will over the Scenario?

He felt like a puppet on strings.

"So you sat through each loop, watching and waiting for me to remember? All because you what, couldn't convince me?" Subaru wasn't sure how to feel anymore. On one hand she had let him die continuously. On the other, he hadn't even remembered until now, making him at fault too. Subaru was unsure if he should feel angry at her or disappointed at himself. "How had I not remembered any of them until now? Was there a curse in my mind?"

"Who said you hadn't remembered before?" Echidna scoffed. Subaru stared at her, unbelieving. "What? That's what happens when you do the same thing over and over again. It drives you mad. You have remembered almost every third loop, and each time you would die and die and die until you couldn't take it." She leaned into him, while he leaned out. "You would forget about it, and it would all restart. Each Scenario different, from burglars to Super Villains. From friendly fire to an accident in which your own mother burned you alive." She smiled, though this one of melancholy. "You died so many times, each time breaking until you were less than you were originally. I've seen the weakest side of you, to you in your prime." She leaned back. "There was even a loop in which you fell for me. I won't lie, I enjoyed that loop a little too much. Such a rarity has yet to transpire again though." She sighed though. "I just want it to end though."

"I just want you to be free."

The words stung Subaru more than it should have. Here was a girl who was in the same boat as him, watching the same events play out eternally. A never ending hell, in which he dragged her along, and what did he feel for her? Contempt, hatred, and guilt. Even when she claimed to want to set him free, he still hated her.

They sat there in silence- Subaru mulling over her words while doing his best to recognize his emotions, Echidna drinking her tea as she went over some notes in her head. This silence would last minutes, as both did there thing. This would end when Echidna clapped her hands, drawing his attention back to her.

"I suppose we must discuss the current loop then." Echidna spoke suddenly. Subaru nodded his head in response, signaling that he was listening. "From what I understand, you have burglars breaking and entering?" He nodded. "It sounds simple enough, but may I ask, how is it that you are dying?"

"I startled one of the pair when they were trying to break into my window. He had a gun and accidently shot me in the gut." He responded, shivering through his jacket at the memory. He still felt the phantom pain as the bullet was stuck in him, each breath drawing more out of him than the last. "I don't know how they broke in through my window, but they did."

"Good." Was all the Echidna responded with. Taking out a note pad, she started jotting down some notes. "You said it was a pair, correct?" A nod. "So I am going to assume they are both male and equally stronger than y-"

"One was female." Subaru interrupted, clarifying her mistake. "While they were speaking, one definitely sounded like a female. She even had the size of a small female too."

"But can you be sure?" Echidna asked, skeptical as to this form of information. "In my experience, I have dealt with plenty of injured individuals who mistake identities or whole memories based on their injuries."

"No, I'm pretty sure it was a she." Subaru responded, pushing at this. "It's a little unbelievable that I would mistake a she for a he."

"It wouldn't be the first time." Echidna giggled, to which Subaru glared. His anger for her yet to be liberated. "Fine, I'll assume one is a female. Could you distinguish their age? Or any defining features?"

"No, I was in too much pain to concentrate. Besides, they wore all black, so I couldn't see anything else besides their eyes."

"Hmm, this is less than preferable." Echidna said, tapping the pen on her chin. While she could have looked into The Book of Wisdom for answers, what would be the fin in that? "Alright, so what we can gather is that two complete strangers broke into your room, one female and one male, and tried to steal from you and your family." A nod. "One has a gun, but from the way you make it sound they didn't want to kill anyone." A nod. "Hmm. Well, from what I can infer, you would be able to overcome this if you set up an ambush."

"How can we do that?" Subaru questioned. "Should we hide out on the roof and wait for them to attempt to break in? I'm not so sure that will work."

With a sigh, Echidna got up. Chugging the last of her tea, she started her walk down the hallway. "I don't know, Subaru. While I may be extraordinarily smart, I do not intend to support you further from this point on."

"What!?" Subaru all but yelled. Getting up, he started following after her. "You just said you wanted to be free of these loops! What happened to that!?"

"Nothing happened to my want to be free, Subaru. I just seek for you to learn on your own." Echidna gave a shrug. "Or are you saying you're so helpless without the Witch of Greed? Maybe I might reconsider if you confess your undying love to me."

"I'll do that once hell freezes over." Subaru gritted his teeth. "And here I was beginning to like you. I guess we won't ever get along, will we?."

"I'm not so sure of that Subaru." She responded, cheer in her voice. "For me, this is just a test to see if you can find the solution on your own. Once you do, I wouldn't be so averse with helping you."

"Heh, like hell you would be able to help me. From what I've seen all you are good for is riding on my coattail and cooking food." That seemed to strike a cord with Echidna. Subaru grinned, he was going to enjoy this. "I would choose anyone else besides you, Echidna. How about the Witch of Wrath? I bet she could destroy a thousand buildings with one punch. Or Lust? Wouldn't she be able to enchant the users so she can bend them to her will? But no, I'm stuck with Greed. She's so selfish that she would rather see someone die than lift a finger to help. You're sounding more like Sloth than Greed!" This seemed to strike a major cord with her, seeing as her face was turning redder by the minute. Subaru wasn't even done, this felt good. "You know who would actually be better? The Witch of Pride! At least then she would lend a hand to help. Or better yet, how about The Witch of Env-"

Whatever he was about say was cut off by a punch to the gut from Echidna. Having been caught off guard caused Subaru to kneel. Echidna wasn't done, as Subaru was falling she kneed him in the nose. The force was great enough that he was sent in the air. She then used the length of her arm to pin Subaru to the wall.

Through cracked eyes, Subaru could see the look on Echidna's face. Like he had hoped, Echidna was furious, but not in the way he had hoped. Instead of just her yelling, she had used violence to her advantage. She was strong but he had a gut feeling she was holding back. That didn't worry him though. The way her eyes glowed a bright gold is what worried him.

"I will let you know this now, Subaru." She started, her voice but a mere whisper. A mere whisper that had his knees shaking. "I can tolerate many things; Being compared to my sister's, or even some use of profanity, even your constant rudeness in this loop I can deal with." She leaned in. "What I cannot tolerate is being compared to that mongrel that has the audacity to call herself a Witch." She leaned out, letting go of Subaru. "Envy is not a sister or even human. I consider her a mongrel, a pet and a liar. A betrayer and a crook. A puppet that couldn't comprehend love if she were to be confessed to. She killed all my friends when all we sought was to help her. So do not ever, in this world and the next, compare me to the Jealous Witch."

With that, Echidna left the coughing Subaru to his own devices. Subaru, for his part had heard all that he needed to, and while he knew it was wrong, he felt guilty. This mostly stemmed from him having belittled her like he did, while the other part was for what she had said.

All her friends were dead, and he was about to compared her to their murderer.

One could never say Subaru wasn't easily worried without being a shit faced liar. Subaru worried about a lot of things, namely life after High school, what other people thought of him and offending others. Those worries were easily brushed aside though. A real worry that would stick around with him until he remedied it was that of what just happened.

He was worried about having hurt someone that might've cared for him. As much as he was furious with her right now, he also understood where she was coming from. Who would believe him if he just proclaimed that they could survive dying? The only way to even test that out is if they died, and if they drew the short end of the stick that would be it. They died a fool.

"Crap." Subaru groaned, the pain finally getting to him. No doubt there will be bruises in the next hour. Sucking in a breath, he steeled himself for the walk back to class. "I'm probably going to have to go home early and prepare."

Unknown to both Subaru and Echidna, a lone female was one floor beneath them, listening intently. There would need to be a change in plans.

* * *

It wasn't that hard to convince the nurse to allow him to go home early with all the bruises that covered his body. Well, it wasn't hard after she slapped some bandages on him up, convinced some poor girl to walk him home, and gave his mother a call. These wounds sure did help him get home.

Subaru had to ask Echidna if this was her intention later.

After a heart felt apology of course.

"Again, I'm sorry that you had to do this!" Subaru apologized for what felt like the millionth time. The Girl, a short noirette with no visually defining features unlike Echidna, smiled nervously and nodded. The bounds of the conversation had just been Subaru apologizing and The shy girl apologizing. "If you want, you can head back now. We're almost there anyways and I doubt the Nurse is going to find out that you left me early."

"I-It's fine." The Girl said as she trudged through the snow. Subaru had to admit, she must have been pretty strong if she could keep up with him going up this slope. "I-I enjoy helping p-people so it's no problem."

"Huh, that's a good trait to have. I could say the same about myself for the most part." They were nearing his house. He could see it now. "Alright, there is my house. Are you sure you don't want to head back?"

"Y-yes." She responded, almost eagerly. That was weird, she must like hiking. Shrugging, they continued their walk. If she wanted to go to his house he wouldn't stop her. Arriving at the door, Subaru let out a breath of fresh air.

'Why did we get a house at the top of the damn slope!?'

"Well, here we are! Home sweet home!" Subaru said in glee. It always felt great to get home, especially after a difficult walk like that. Turning around, he saw the dark haired girl fidget nervously, a light blush on her face. "Hey, are you o- Wait! Don't tell me you were pushing yourself for my sake!" He bowed. "I'm sorry!"

"Sorry isn't gonna cut it, Subaru."

"Huh? When did your voice sounded much older and threatening?" Subaru asked, as he looked at the girl who seemed to be a little more nervous. "Are you a ventriloquist?"

"Wrong Girl, Subaru."

This time, the voice was more clear. Turning around, he bore witness to the ever blank expression on his mother's face. For Subaru and his Dad though, they were able to tell the slight changes in her face. Right now, she was worried.

"Are you ok Mom?" Subaru asked, slightly worried about his mother. She was a kind woman, if not a little dense, but it was rare to see her worried.

"Of course I am, although I am a little bothered by what to make tonight. But enough about me, what about you?" Naoko spoke a little quicker than usual. In what seemed like a flash, she grabbed his face, moving it around. "All you have is a broken nose, so your face won't be that damaged. We will need to check under each bandage too to see if anything is fractured."

"Hey, Mom!" Subaru softly slapped his Moms offending hand. "I got checked out by the school nurse! I'm sure she would be able to tell if I broke anything!"

"School Shmuul! Those wannabe doctors wouldn't be able to tell dead from alive if it hit them!" Naoko responded. She didn't doubt the knowledge of a nurse, but the last time she was in high school, one of her friends suffered from a broken rib for a day because the nurse was too stupid to tell the difference between a broken rib from a intact one. "Besides, it's the mother's job to overly worry so get your ass inside right now before I have to drag you in!"

"U-Um!" A voice spoke behind Subaru. Turning around, the girl was still behind him, much to the surprise of Subaru. He would have expected her to run off by now. "I-I'm not sure if removing Subaru's bandages would be a good idea."

"Oh? They sent a girl with you Subaru?" Naoko asked, before she smiled. "Or is this your friend? Wait! Friend. Girl. Friend-Girl!?"

"I think you mean girlfriend and no!" Subaru practically yelled. His mom's sly grin wouldn't leave though. "What're you thinking?"

"Oh, you know, stuff." Her smile didn't leave her face, as she leaned into the poor girl. "Hey, when are you and Subaru gonna have kids?"

"Ok! That's enough!" Grabbing the smiling woman, he shoved her inside. Turning around, "I'm sorry to have trouble you!" and he slammed the door.

The Shy girl was left standing there, slightly flustered and cold. This was not how she expected this to go down. In her head, she imagined getting here, requesting to use the phone to call her parents and go back to school/home. Not be questioned on her activities in baby making.

With a sigh, she turned on her heel, and started her long walk back to school.

* * *

It hadn't taken long to convince his mother to not undo the patches where the bruises resided. Subaru knew that she wanted to still uncover them, but convinced her not to on the prospect that he was tired. That was enough to let him go and get the privacy he needed. He had went straight to bed after that.

Well, not without first grabbing his Dads gun.

Getting his hand on the weapon wasn't that difficult either. His dad owned multiple guns. One he carried with him whenever he left the household. Two, the rifle, was kept away in a safe in the garage. The last one was hidden under one of his dressers. Slipping in there and grabbing the weapon wasn't that difficult seeing as the room was across from his. His mother usually stayed on the first floor, doing whatever she could to pass the time.

His dad legally was allowed to wield guns in and out of the household. Owning one rifle, and two handguns, Subaru had hoped that it would never come in handy despite his daily day dreams of being a superhero. Subaru saw guns as a last resort, something that was used to kill should never be a first resort. This was probably the reason for why it was so strict in Japan to wield a gun besides more evident reasons.

Yet as he sat at his desk staring at the weapon that could make or break this loop, he sincerely hoped that there would be no need to pull the trigger. As optimistic as it was, he hoped to catch them off guard, have them surrender, and call the cops. That was about it.

Deep down he knew it wouldn't end like he hoped.

As much as Subaru wished for something supernatural to happen in his life, he was starting to regret it. He wished for powers like Spider-Man, telekinesis or to control over Space-time, hell even hard skin would be better than this. To die and return to some random checkpoint in time just to redo it over again? Sure, that brought tactical advantages but what about encounters with opponents that were to strong or to fast for him to catch up?

All he had was knowledge and a gun. Both useful, and both deadly. Subaru didn't want to kill, and deep down he didn't truly wish to fight. But this pair had shot him, by accident or not didn't matter. They shot him, what would stop then from killing his family? This was why he had to fight, to keep them safe.

The coming confrontation made his knees shake in fear.

Now was the time to plan though. He didn't have time to worry about the inevitable.

Subaru's current plan was simple. Rest until they tried to break in, once they do he would be "asleep" and wait as they passed by him, if they didn't plan to kill him, catch them by surprise. Use one as a shield and the other would have no choice but to surrender. Simple, yet, to him at least, effective.

The signal for this plan to commence would be when his dad left for his jog. During the last loop everything went down after he left, so it should make things easier to pinpoint exactly when he should get to bed.

A sudden slam shook him out of his stupor. With a speed Subaru didn't know he had, he hid the gun in one of the drawers of his desk. Apparently his dad had decided to go for a jog.

A jog up the stairs and to his room more like.

"Subaru!" Kenichi yelled, stomping into his room. Subaru nervously looked up at him from his chair. Kenichi looked pissed, and not in the 'You messed with me' kind of pissed. It seemed more like 'Are you serious' kind of pissed. Kenichi slammed his hand on Subaru's desk, startling him even more. "What is this I here about you getting beat up!? And what about your new girlfriend that I wasn't told about!?" Kenichi leaned into Subaru. "Did you do the DEED?"

"W-What!?" Subaru nervously asked as his Dad aggressively grab him by the shirt. "W-w-what do you mean g-girlfriend! D-do you mean Echidna!? There is no way I would go out with that witch, let alone do the deed!"

"Echidna is her name huh!? Already on a first-name basis?" Kenichi leaned in further, their noses touching. "You also called her a Witch, when what I heard was the opposite of what a Witch would do. She walked you home for gods sake Subaru! Would a Witch do that? To waste her time with you!?"

"W-what!?" Subaru questioned. Echidna didn't walk him home. He wasn't sure That she had an ounce of That kindness. "That wasn't Echidna! I don't even know that girl, she was forced by the school to help me!"

"Oh." Kenichi responded dumbly, letting Subaru drop back into his chair. "So what's this with your mother saying you have a girlfriend?"

"Mom just overreacted." Subaru tersely responded. Barging into his room and accusing him of his personal life was a pet peeve of his… well, mostly just barging into his room. He couldn't tell how many times his own mother walked in on him. "The school asked if she could do it, and she agreed. She didn't even really talk to me all that much on the way up here; just nodding was mostly her response."

Kenichi glanced over at Subaru, before sitting down on his bed across the room. A Kotatsu in-between them. "Alright, I can see what happened now. You got here, she jumped to conclusions and you didn't properly explain the situation?" Kenichi asked to which Subaru nodded in response. He sighed, crossing his arms. "You really need to take into consideration that Naoko isn't really the brightest of the bunch, Subaru. You've seen how she acts- One time she thought I was cheating because I was talking to her Mother. That was a hell of a day, I tell you."

"Yeah, you told me that story. How she locked you out of the house for a whole day before you convinced her that you were just asking for her parents blessing?" Subaru smiled, one of melancholy. "I know I should have explained, but I just…" Subaru glanced over to the drawer holding the gun. Kenichi picked up on this.

"What's wrong Subaru?" Kenichi worriedly asked. His son had a lot of problems, but usually he was better at hiding them. If Subaru was so troubled that it bore through his mask, that was something to be concerned about. "You know you can talk to me, right Subaru? Your mom and I are here for a reason, you know?"

"I know, it's just…" Subaru groaned, leaning back in his chair. "I really don't want to talk about it right now, Dad. I'll tell you tomorrow, is that fine?"

Kenichi sighed, running a hand through his hair. Ever since High school began, his son had been like this. Each day that passed Subaru became more and more reclusive. Some nights he didn't even eat dinner with him and Naoko. Let alone talk to them about his problems. Kenichi would be lying if he said it didn't hurt having his son ignore them like this.

"Fine, but I'm holding it to you to explain by tomorrow morning. You know what happens when you don't hold up your end of the bargain, or do you need a reminder?" Subaru shivered. The last time he didn't hold up his end his dad had made him skip school and run all day. "Now, who is this Echidna?"

"Huh? You don't rem-" Oh, right… reset. For a second, Subaru had forgotten everyone besides him and Echidna forgot about the loops. That was another downside in his eyes. "Right, sorry. I thought I told you guys."

"You have been locked in your room all day, there's no way in hell you told us who this Echidna girl is." Kenichi said. Sometimes his son was almost as dumb as his wife… not that she's dumb though. "So, who is she?"

"Mostly a pain in my ass." Subaru responded sarcastically, spinning in his chair. Kenichi smiled, a girl who grinded his sons gears was something that was rare. "She's a self centered girl who only cares about what entertains to her. I'm not even sure if she even cares what happens to her as long as she is entertained."

"Ah, sounds like a keeper." Kenichi teased, much to the annoyance to the still spinning Subaru. He sent a glare to Kenichi, who laughed in kind. "Just kidding. She sounds like a piece of work though, but I'm sensing there is more to this story?"

"Yeah. But I really don't want to talk about it." Subaru sighed, feeling slightly bad for not telling him. But how do you tell someone you insulted another by comparing them to their friends murderer? Sure he could lie, but Subaru wasn't a liar. "I will tell you tomorrow dad. I'm sorry, but can I be alone for now? I just want to rest."

All Kenichi did was sigh and get up. He knew that pressuring his son wouldn't lead to anywhere except to argument. It hurt being rejected like this, but at least Subaru would talk to him tomorrow. Walking to the door, Kenichi hesitated once more.

"Subaru, get some rest alright? Your mother was worried about you when you earlier, and no doubt she still is. I'll convince her to leave you alone for tonight, but you'll have to come up with something convincing to ease her mind." Kenichi started to walk out, but stopped once again. "There's still food in the kitchen if you're hungry?"

"I'm fine, Thanks dad." Subaru wouldn't have been able to eat with what was about to go down. With that, Kenichi left the room, closing the door softly.

Subaru sighed as he sunk into his chair. He always felt bad brushing them off like that, but he couldn't help it. It wasn't easy talking about his problems and his faults. It was like acknowledging that he was a problem.

He truly did feel guilty about what happened with Echidna, but he didn't know what to do. Maybe he should apologize to her tomorrow after all this was done? She did deny helping him though, which could potentially continue the loop eternally if he could never beat this.

That brought up the question 'Why?' though. Why would she deny helping him when she herself claimed to hold all the world's knowledge? What would bring her to risk continuing this torment?

He had a feeling her excuse for entertainment was a cover up.

The way she acted hinted that there was more behind the scenes than simply 'wanting him to get it right.' What did that mean anyways? Get what right? If she wanted to get it right, wouldn't helping him succeed in that?

What was Echidna hiding?

A sudden slam drew his attention once again. Instead of it being his door though, it was the front door. Feeling the vibrations as his dad closed the door, Subaru opened the drawer and went to the sliding glass door. He saw his dad running down the street, his breath visible because of the cold. "Wish me luck, Dad."

Unlocking the door, he made sure the burglars had easy access in. It wouldn't do if they had to go through another way, which would undermine the point of acting to sleep. Walking to the door, he flipped the switch off before heading to bed.

Laying there was nerve racking. Even though nothing had happened in the five minutes that Subaru laid there, it still made him anxious. While he did a ton of mental training for this in the hours prior to his Dads confrontation, it did nothing for him. He still felt anxious and worry for the bad end of this route.

What if he failed? Would he die again? Would it be more painful than the last? Would his family get injured?

Hopefully none of that would come to pass.

As soon as he thought that, a sudden shift in temperature drew his attention. The almost silent sound of the door sliding opening made him stiffen. It continued before stopping. Two silent taps, that could have sounded like thunder to him, echoed in the dark room. The door slid again, shutting with a silent "click."

It was silent after that. No soft tap of footsteps making their way across his room. No shuffling as the burglar looked through his stuff. Just complete and udder silence. After a minute of this silence, Subaru started thinking that it was all in his head. That the worry had gotten to his head.

That false hope was dashed away as a hand decided to lay itself on his forehead. This came as a shock to Subaru, shocking enough that he had to will himself not to flinch out of shock and fear, which he failed at. Luckily for him his would be murderer didn't think much of it. He heard a few more taps before a lengthy sigh.

"Looks like our employer had some false intel, this kid is just sick. He's as hot as a sauna. There's no way he's going to be fighting us in his condition." A female voice said as a few more taps echoed in his room. "This kid has some snazzy stuff. You should see it later. To bad we didn't come here for his stuff."

What? They weren't burglars?

That didn't matter though, they intruded into his house and killed him. That was enough for him to beat them half to death. A few more seconds passed before he cracked open his eyes. It was dark, but due to the street lights he could still make out the silhouette of a female. Her back was turned to him.

Now was the time.

Sitting up slowly, he did his best to make sure his bed didn't creak. Having springs in the bed was horrible, especially now. He sat up, slowly standing in a crouch with the gun in his right hand. Making his way to behind her was a test in silence. His feet touching the cold floor boards practically made his legs shiver.

Subaru would later question why he didn't just point the gun at her from afar and threaten her.

He did the same though, but at a closer range. Pointing the gun from behind her head, he did his best to calm his trembling hand.

"Stop." Subaru whispered. Mentally he hit himself over the head. Who says 'Stop' when threatening someone. It was stupid. Either way, it seemed to work as the girl stopped moving. She looked over her shoulder at him, her eyes barely visible to him.

"Crap." Was all she could mutter before raising her hands up. When Subaru saw this, he could feel his courage gather. Slowly he walked closer to her, putting the gun at the back of her head. Gulping, he pushed on her head.

"Kneel, and put your hands behind your back." Subaru ordered nervously. The Girl glared at him from behind his mask before leaning forward. As soon as Subaru felt like he could relax, she leaned back, hitting his already broken nose. "Gah!"

He tried pulling the trigger, but it wouldn't budge. The Girl hit the hand holding onto the gun to the side, loosening his grip on the weapon. Falling back on his bed, he barely had a chance to roll out of the way of a drop kick she had, which shattered the bedding.

The girl wouldn't let up. As soon as he had dodged the kick, he forced himself up. His gun loosely hanging in his grip, Subaru did his best to point it at her. Succeeding in that, he pulled the trigger. Once again, instead of a loud bang, the trigger wouldn't even budge.

"What th-" He was interrupted as the girl kicked him across the face. Subaru was quick to back step from the punch to his side. It hurt, more than any normal kick should, but it was soft compared to Echidna's punch. She tried to kick him again, but Subaru wouldn't fall for it again.

Planting his foot on the makeshift table, he hopped over it. The Girl made to follow him, but as soon as she put her feet on the table, Subaru turned and Kicked the table. The table in turn caused the girl to lose balance. Grabbing under the table, Subaru pushed the girl to the window.

Unexpectedly, for Subaru at least, the force behind the push sent them through the glass door. He could hear the girl scream as some broken glass cut her back, no doubt some fragments piercing her body.

Pushing her against the Rail bared some fruit however. As soon as she was shoved against it, she seemed a little out of it. Subaru wasn't sure how to put it, but as he watched her face when they made contact to the rail, it seemed like her eyes clouded over. Her head started spinning before she regained consciousness of the situation.

"You little piece of s-" She didn't get to finish that sentence as Subaru, with his gun in his hand, slammed it across her face. She let out a cry of pain before pushing with all her might against the table that pinned her. "Let go of me!"

Subaru didn't respond verbally, but physically. Feeling the girls force pushing on him, he thought quick and slammed the table with his shoulder. An audible gasp emitted from the girl, her strength weakening. Taking no chances, he did it again and the same result occurred.

With haste Subaru raised the gun in his hand and slammed it across her face once again. This time it had much more of a noticeable effect. Her eyes glazed over before going limp. Seeing this, Subaru let out a few puffs of air as he slunk back. The Girl, table and Subaru all fell down- one from exhaustion and the other from being unable to remain conscious.

Subaru took this time to take a mouth full of oxygen. Over and over again, as he laid on his back he did his best to calm himself down.

Only then did the realization of what had happened set in.

He had done it.

"Hell yeah!" Subaru yelled as he threw his fist into the air before letting it fall onto the ground. He had actually done it. Repeatedly the mantra of 'I did it' echoed in his head. Subaru could barely believe it himself.

He wasn't going to lie; the instant when she had first made contact scared the hell out of him. He practically shit his pants when she broke the bed too. Speaking of which, why was she so strong? Her kick had been strong enough to break his bed, which would take more effort to do than break a desk. And if she was so strong, why couldn't she push back against him? Not to mention being knocked out by two hits to the face?

Maybe it was due to the fact she got pushed through the window? Subaru didn't know, and honestly he didn't care as long as he survived.

As the adrenaline wore off, he started to feel a slight sting on his hand. Looking at it, he took notice that it was cut. No doubt from the glass. Sitting up with a hiss, he started to notice his body was sore. Probably from the beating he took all day.

Looking at the girl, he noticed that she had some shards of glass sticking out if her. That was probably the reason why she knocked out; due to the pain. Standing up, he made his way over to her. He needed to patch her up. She may be an enemy, but she didn't need to die. That's what a Superhero would do, right?

Before he did though, he took notice of something. Something that should have been there, but wasn't. Something that could have contributed to this girls victory if he was here.

Where was her partner?

A sudden scream caught his attention. His eyes widened. Grabbing the gun, he ran. Adrenaline pumped through his blood, cutting off all senses of pain that told him to stop. Through his door and down the stairs, he ran, with the hope that he was just hearing things.

Yet as he emerged from the staircase he cold practically feel his blood run cold. Fear gripping him as the second burglar glared at him from across the room, a gun pointed at Naoko's head. Even from here Subaru could see the guy looked unsure, his knees buckling in what Subaru presumed was worry.

This just made him more unpredictable. One slip of the finger and his Moms life would come to a premature end. He didn't want that, looping power or not it didn't sit well for him to see someone he loved die.

Glancing at his weapon, Subaru raised it. So far it had failed him, but his enemy didn't know that. Doing his best to look tough, he glared at the intruder.

"Let her go." Subaru commanded. The man seemed to consider it for a second, out of fear most likely, before pushing the pistols barrel against her head roughly. The man placed his finger on the trigger, a move that told him "If you fire at me, she dies."

"No." The man said sternly. Now that he didn't have a bullet in his gut, he could hear him clearly. His voice was rough, indicating that he was a little older than him. Or he smoked a lot. "Y-You aren't in the position to be telling me what to do." He put a hand over Naoko's mouth, a move that angered Subaru. "You so much as twitch and you can say goodbye to your mom." Masked Man looked at Naoko, an unsure expression before his will resolved itself. He gave a glare to Subaru. "If you want me to release her, then you will have to follow my commands."

The man was right. Subaru was in no position to command him. Subaru had a useless gun (Burglar didn't know about) and the Masked Man had a working gun and his mother. What good would it do to risk his mom?

Subaru had no choice but to play along.

"We'll give you what you want, just don't hurt her." Subaru pleaded. The man seemed to get some courage with that, seeing as he stopped shaking. His mother looked worried, and he knew it wasn't for herself. She was too selfless for that.

"Good. First, I want you to drop the gun. Slowly." Subaru nodded, leaning down to place the gun on the ground. Not once did he turn his gaze from the intruder. Getting back up, Subaru rose his hands in the air. "Now kick it over to me." Subaru hesitated for a second when he said this. This action would take away any tactical advantage he had on the intruder. Mentally he hit himself over the head for this; He was already obeying his commands, and the gun was useless anyway. Kicking it over to him, the man kicked it further behind him. "Alright. Now, tell me where the Catalyst is."

A uncomfortable silence took over the room. Naoko looked worriedly at Subaru. Subaru looked at the man like he grew a fifth head. The man looked at Subaru like he had all the answers to this world's questions.

The man wasn't far off hence Echidna.

"What?" Subaru asked as calmly as he could. It was hard, dealing with the guy who continued to threaten his Moms life. Apparently he didn't speak softly enough for the man shoved the gun into her ear. Subaru took a calming breath. "What… is this Catalyst?"

"What?" It was the man's turn to be stupefied. "You should know what I'm talking about!" He waved the gun around, still pointing at Naoko. "I was told that everyone in this damn household knows about it!"

"I don't know what you're talking about." Subaru spoke truthfully. He had never heard of something called 'The Catalyst.' He heard of 'a' Catalyst, but nothing that pointed directly at a specific something. "Maybe… Maybe you got the wrong house?"

"No… No we got the right house!" He yelled. He was throwing a temper tantrum. "We checked and double checked! A two story house, on a hill, with a family of three!"

"They're a lot of households like that in Nishinomiya. This household isn't that special." Subaru spoke truth. He was beyond pissed at this man now. They broke in, killed him (tried to) and threatened his mom because of some information like that? "I suggest you leave. I called the cops before coming down here to whisk away your friend. If you hurry, you could probably take your friend and get away."

Bluffing at its finest.

"No… NO! We got the right house! Two story, family of three at –"

He was interrupted by a loud bang.

A deafening bang, not that different than the one from the past loop.

Through shocked eyes, Subaru watched as blood splattered the wall from the bullet hole of his now deceased mother. Her blank eyes stared at him, no emotion could be read from them.

Subaru felt his blood run cold, as he saw his mother fall. He could feel the bile that threatened to escape his throat.

"Ah…" Subaru weakly squeaked. This couldn't be happening. He had done everything perfectly. He beat the girl, he almost reasoned with the man. So why? Why was his mother lying in a pool of her own blood.

'This can't be happening.'

Subaru couldn't keep it in anymore. Vomit came out of his mouth. His already weak knees buckled under him as he fell. He continued to let out the contents of his stomach, tears falling with each painful bile.

'This can't be happening!'

Yet when he looked up, his mom was still there on her side. Blood was still pooling under her head. Her dead eyes were still looking at him, forever expressionless.

"Oh my god! I-I didn't mean too! I swear! It was an accident!"

And her murderer was standing over her.

Swallowing his grief, he focused all his attention on the masked man. Grief turned to anger, and anger into wrath.

This man was going to die.

The man saw this, and he felt fear. Pure and utter fear. What he saw wasn't a teen in grief. Not a teen who had just lost his mother in an unfortunate accident. Not a teen who cried that none of this was real.

He saw an animal out for his blood.

Subaru charged, fist raised in preparation for the beating he was about to deal. He didn't know when he would stop, and right now he didn't care. All he wanted was to see this intruder bleed. Bleed enough for his veins to be hollow. Bleed until his heart couldn't pump enough blood to keep him alive. Bleed until he was a g-

A loud shot fired.

Time seemed to lag for Subaru. He could see, could _hear_ the bullet coming at him. Yet as much as he tried to move out of the way, he couldn't. Fear once again gripped his heart as the bullet soared. He could feel his neck twist as the bullet traveled through it.

Pain flared through him as he gripped his neck. The bullet escaped through the back of his neck, pushing him backwards with enough force for him to suddenly find himself on the ground.

He tried to get up, tried to breathe, tried anything but it was all for nothing. He was drowning in his own blood, and there was nothing he could do about it.

He faintly heard the man apologize, but Subaru wasn't going to forgive him. He killed Subaru twice, and now killed his mother. This man will die.

With that, the story of Subaru Natsuki came to a premature end.

* * *

Subaru fell, for a third time, out of his chair.

This time however he wasn't filled with embarrassment or shock. He felt pure, uncontrolled hate.

His teacher looked at him, before letting him go. She knew not to mess with an angry student. Subaru stood before calmly, or as calm as he could, sat down. His hands shopping in uncontrollable rage.

Looking outside, he could see snow pile on top of each other. A serene beauty that couldn't be compared to anything. A peacefulness that had been interrupted by two murderers gunning for him and his family.

Right then and there, Subaru made a vow.

'All of them will die.'

* * *

 **Well, I'm highly considering the Young Justice x Ultimate Marvel x Zero now. I admit I'm indecisive when it comes to fanfics crossovers, but it sounds fun. Zero would be a good way to introduce DC and Marvel from Subaru's perspective. The universes would be Earth 16 (DC) and Earth 1610 (Marvel). I have arcs containing the two together too.**

 **But, again, I wish to hear your opinion. Would you guys dislike it? I mean I'm generally a crossover purist, but one of my favorite fanfics is Dark Souls x Familiar of Zero with Legacy of Kain in the mix and that's pretty well done. So again, what's your opinions?**

 **In other news, I'm horrible at writing fight scenes. I've been trying to keep it believable but it's hard when you can't SHOW your fight. Also, you could practically tell I was struggling with the hostage situation. Ugh, I need to continue working on my craft.**

 **.** **Also, if anyone is concerned about Subaru's anger in that last bit, don't worry. Subaru had just witnessed someone dying for the first time, and his mother to boot. In this timeline, Subaru cared very much for them, so to see one of them die would sent him a little over the edge. I'm not going to rip off the shows story. Not to say he isn't as mad as he was then, but this isn't the goal of this arc.**

 **It's to set up the coming arc where morals clash. This is just a set up for his foundation.**

 **Anyways, criticism is always appreciated! I won't get butthurt over you calling me bad, a little teary eyed but that's about it. I hope you can further educate me on writing!** **If you have any questions on the story, feel free to ask! As long as it isn't spoiler I will most definitely answer. Even then I'll give you a heads up.**

 **Reviews-**

 **Shirosaki Kizuro- Thanks for the heads up! I'm most likely going to start rereading (tedious) and editing it so everything flows. Hopefully I get it right. Also, I have a feeling you have been with this fic for a long time, right? Thank you either way! I hope for your continued support and criticism, and I hope I don't disappoint you!**


	4. Planning

**Sorry for the long wait. AN has info on that. Also sorry for the low quality chapter.**

 **Important announcement in AN.**

* * *

It was a calm winter day. The clouds overwhelmed the sky, blocking any hope for sun to pour through. Small specks of snow floated passively to the ground, undisturbed even as a bystander passed by. Snow littered the ground, puddles of ice that pedestrians and cars alike avoided.

It was a calm and, comparable to the day before, wonderful day. For the lives that dwelt inside Nishinomiya this was a fantastic day.

All except one.

Hours had passed since Subaru's last death. No one had noticed nor cared to notice how the normally quiet kid in the back of the class festered in anger. To them, everything was right with the world, and nothing could interrupt that.

The Gyaru's still gossips and ignored the teacher, who preached this or that. A couple that Subaru cared not to learn the names of still sent letters to each other from across the room. A few of the students still paid the teacher adamant attention, even if their lives were already heading to a janitor job.

It was like none of what happened last night happened.

That he didn't have a power that was a borderline curse shoved upon him. That he didn't argue with a Witch who knew every little thing about him. That he didn't have to steal his Dads gun to defend his family. That he didn't have to fight a burglar and smash them through a window. That he didn't have to reason with his mother's capture. None of this happened.

That His mother didn't die.

Yet all of that did happen. He had a curse that he was unsure how he got. He fought with a Witch, and two burglars. He watched as his Moms eyes became lifeless. Her once living body becoming a carcass for rats to feast on.

They were going to die.

"Subaru." A voice broke him out of his brooding. Looking up, he saw Echidna looking at him with… worry? "Are you ok?"

"Of course I'm ok. Why wouldn't I be?" Subaru said as he put on a fake smile. He still felt bad for what happened yesterday. He needed to apologize, even if she was the reason his mo- no, stop thinking like that. "I just haven't eaten anything all day and I'm just extremely famished! Do you still have that bento you made?"

"Aya, I see you have taken a liking to my cooking! Well, I won't brag or anything but I may as well be the best cook you have ever had the pleasure of eating from." Echidna said with no hint of shame. If anything, she was practically brimming with Pride. She placed the Bento on the desk and passed it to him. Subaru took it started digging in.

Echidna smiled at this. No matter what loop she was in, she enjoyed the fact that he always took pleasure in her culinary craft.

"It could do with some mayonnaise, though." Subaru spoke honestly. For him and the rest of the Natsuki's, Mayonnaise was king. It was like how they all shared the 'Evil eyes.'

"Duly noted." Echidna said, her expression unchanging. This concerned Subaru a little, for he didn't wish to speak of it. If she spoke true though, she knew how to pry it out of him. "Is there anything else you would wish for, oh darling King."

"More mayonnaise?" Subaru asked. He could have played along, but again, he wasn't in the mood. Echidna just sighed, visibly dissatisfied that he didn't play along.

"Well, if you insist on Mayonnaise, I can't argue with that. Although, I warn you, it'll be a lot more than you expect." Echidna spoke, her smile twitching as she spoke. That mischievous smile she gave him made him shudder. Almost made him regret his request. "Back to the topic at hand though, What is bothering you?"

"Nothing! Why do you think something is bothering me?" Subaru spoke, loudly and proud. Some of the students took notice of this, but didn't give him that much attention. Looking at her, he tried to dodge the question again. "Anyways, what do you put in this bento! I was to busy to pay attention to what I shoved in my mouth, but from what I can tell it's really-"

"Subaru." Echidna spoke softly, a mere whisper, but loud enough for him to understand what she said. His name was spoken, but with an underlying message. 'I am not toying around.' "What happened in the last loop?"

Subaru stopped his devouring of the Bento's contents. "I don't know what you mean? As you can tell I failed, so I just need to start from scratch, right? I'm sure I'll get it right this time!" Subaru then continued to devour his food, trying to hide himself of Echidna's disapproving look. "Besides, shouldn't you know with that all seeing Book of yours?"

"Indeed the book may hold the answers, but that was not the answer to my question, Subaru." She leaned her head on her hands. She was getting annoyed by his persistence of keeping her out of the loop. "'I failed' is not an acceptable answer. I wish to know of the circumstances in which how you died."

"I was shot in the throat, is that enough for you?" Subaru said, his voice hollow. This startled Echidna, but she was quick to hide it. Subaru tried laughing it off, but even he could tell that it was hollow, as was his voice. Subaru started stuffing his face even more to cover this up. "Man, are these squids? They're really good. What did you put in them?"

"Normally, no. And this loop is no different." Echidna said, ignoring Subaru's inquiry. Subaru stopped his crusade on the bento. Echidna smiled at this; it was amusing to see the different expressions Subaru had, even in his current state. "Now, will you talk to me or shall I force it out?"

"Ata, you're not going to let this go, are you?" Subaru asked as he leaned back. He really didn't feel like talking about prior events. "Also, you shouldn't threaten people casually like that. It ruins your image."

"Nope, and I expect you to learn this about me; I seek to record every different scenario you encounter." Echidna leaned into her hands again. "To put it in other words, I wish to become your personal adviser. To record every possible scenario that there is."

"Then why don't you advise me on what to do?" Subaru asked, almost pleadingly. This didn't faze Echidna however, as she had seen this many times over. "Advise me on what to do! With your knowledge we can find a way to kill- no to avoid this situation!"

Echidna sighed. She already knew where this Subaru was heading, and she wouldn't run the risk again. The signs were there, and it was painting a big red 'Bad End' sign. Countless times she saw this, and each time ended worse than the last, so With a heavy heart, she looked him in the eyes and gave her a answer.

"No."

It was simple, and she saw no reason to justify herself. Yet as she watched Subaru's eyes, something seemed to snap. Gone was the hope that shimmered through him, reaching out for her to help him. Replacing that seemed to be a brimming anger. A wrath she no doubt that could rival Minerva if she were to put the two together. Minerva would win no doubt, but that's only if she didn't constantly heal him.

"What." Subaru asked, disdain lacing his tongue. He looked her in the eyes, and she looked back, not budging one bit. "You wish to be my adviser don't you? Then start with helping me kill these scum!" He stood up, his anger flaring a bit too much. "You want to end these loops, don't you!? Then we need to kill these burglars!"

"While that sounds appealing, I refuse, Subaru." Echidna said. She could feel the other students staring at them, but she paid them no heed. The opinions of his classmates mattered little to her. "Again, I do hope you succeed in your goal, but I won't help you murder some mongrels that are just a dot in my history."

"I am not murdering anyone!" Subaru yelled. The more Echidna spoke, the angrier he got. Why wouldn't she help? Wasn't she in the same boat as him? Didn't she want out? "I want to eradicate a pest that has been festering in my home! An intruder that has no right living is threatening to kill me and my family! I should have every right to kill them!"

"Ara, it appears that you have fallen farther than I originally thought. This is very concerning." Echidna said as she leaned her head on her right hand. Her smile ever present, which created Subaru to no end. "I suppose you are a lost cause. I will just run the risks and wait for the next iteration of you, Subaru."

Finally, Subaru lost it. Reaching out, he grabbed Echidna by collar of her uniform and pulled her to him. Echidna made no move to resist, for there was no need to. Whatever Subaru planned to do wouldn't affect her, no matter how much he tried. He wasn't strong enough for that yet.

Leveling a glare directly into her eyes, Subaru couldn't help but see she felt some form of amusement from this. That just made his blood boil even more.

"You would allow people a family to be slaughtered for your own amusement? So you can see if I've fallen far enough for you?" To her silence, Subaru shook. Her smile was grating on his nerves. "You're more detestable than a Witch. I have never seen anyone as vile as you in my life, and there would be nothing I would rather see than you de-"

"Natsuki! Stop it!"

A abrupt force restricted him from continuing his rant. Falling to the ground, he could feel himself forced on his back and his arm pulled away from his body. Two large masses forced his left arm on the ground whilst his right was forced behind his back.

What was going on?

A sudden coughing fit caught his attention. Craning his neck up, he could see Echidna coughing, red marks framing her neck in a resemblance of hands marred her neck. No doubt they would leave bruises. It was concerning but that wasn't what worried Subaru. It was the fact that everyone was looking at him with a mixture of fear and disdain.

"W-what happened?" Subaru asked, a cold feeling in his chest. He was worried with the looks they were giving him. Was It connected to Echidna's coughing? Why was he on the ground? "A-anybody! What happened! Why am I on the ground! Let me go!"

"That's all you care about, you prick? All you care about is why you're on the ground?" A voice, male, spoke behind him. Was it the one pinning him? "You freaking choked her you psycho! She almost died because of you!"

"W-what?" Subaru asked, unbelieving. There was no way he choked her! He was angry at her, but that was about it! The thought of killing her made him nauseous. "I-I didn't choke her! There is no way I can choke her! She's stronger than that!"

"Are you even listening to yourself!? She's a girl! She's weaker than you!" The boy said as he twisted Subaru's arm even more. It was starting to hurt awfully bad. "Are you seriously going to act innocent after what you did! You're gonn-"

"Let him go."

The command was simple. The voice was strong. Striking fear in those weaker than her was easy, if not effortless for her. Getting what she want was easy, and this male was no different. The only one who could possibly deny her wish was Subaru, but that was just how he was.

How can you change someone's personality?

Echidna stood, caring for her now bruised neck and cursing herself. She knew Subaru didn't mean too, and was willing to forgive him for that slip up. He had a kind soul, if not damaged, and was willing to give him the benefit of a doubt. Besides, from her tome with him, he almost always cared for others above himself.

He could have easily let his parents die.

"W-what!?" The nameless boy pinning Subaru spoke in disbelief. He most likely couldn't comprehend the idea of letting her assailant go, Echidna supposed. Reasonable. But he wasn't letting go. "H-He just choked you! An-"

"I'm aware he assaulted me, but I see no reason for him to be the villain here." She spoke, her voice not hiding a tinge of her belief. She didn't see Subaru as the bad guy here. "He had every right to be angry with me. I had pushed him too far, and my hubris got the better of me." She looked at Subaru, who had unshed tears in his eyes, before she sighed. She didn't like this pitiful sight. "I repeat, let him go."

The boy looked conflicted. Rightfully so, Echidna admitted, yet he wasn't letting go. For him, it was let go of this awkward kid, who no doubt had a few screws loose, and let him get away with what he'd done or continue twisting his arms and give him his just deserts. One would get him a ton of praise; the other would please one person and the rest would undoubtedly scorn him.

Having weighed the options, he twisted Subaru's arm even more. This made Subaru squirm as he released a silent gasp.

"No." The answer was spoken to Echidna, who's face briefly contorted into anger before settling into its blank façade. The boy looked at her, before to Subaru before back to Echidna. "This guy choked you, and it wouldn't be right to let him go!" A few cheers from some of the other students bolstered his ego. Pulling Subaru slightly more caused him to start kicking in pain. "Besides, what if he attacks one of us!? You'd be held responsible too! He needs to b-"

"I care little for what happens to you or your excuses."

In a flash, the boy who had been twisting Subaru's arm was Now on the receiving end of that. Echidna had, while everyone else was looking away, grabbed the boy and pinned him to the wall.

"W-wha-!? When did you get over there!?" A random girl yelled. Echidna ignored her in favor of hurting the boy who dared ignore her order.

"As I recall, youre this schools lead baseball plsyer, am I correct?" Echidna didn't need a response, she alteady knew. Giving a pull made the Player gasp in pain. "This will be a warning boy. If I ever see you lay a finger on Subaru again, I will break this arm of yours into fragments." She whispered into his ear for only him to hear. "Do you understand?"

"Y-yes! I-I won't touch N-Natsuki again!" She released him. She would need to wash her hands of this filth later. Right now, she had more pressing matters to deal with.

"Now, Subaru. I want you to kn- What?"

When she turned around, instead of the always diligent Subaru, was a empty space and a few petrified students. The pathway to the door and the door itself open.

Subaru had ran away.

"Damn it."

* * *

He didn't do it. He hadn't done it. He can't do it. He couldn't have done it. It was all a sack of lies, told by Echidna and everyone against him. A illusion created by the Witch to fool everyone! To turn them against him! He was innocent!

'So why did you run?'

"Because I'm innocent! If I had stayed there any longer, they would have attacked me!"

'Really? You claim innocence, but innocents don't run. That honor is reserved for the guilty.'

"I'm not guilty! It was the Witches illusion!"

'There is a fine line between illusion and reality.'

"They were going to betray me!"

'How could they betray you if they were never with you to begin with?'

"They were! The Witch corrupted their minds! Turning them against me!"

'All you do is blame the Witch, but what has she done that was so wrong?'

"She denied helping me! She left me and my family to die! She's the definition of Evil!"

'Hmm? From what I can recall, she is the opposite of what you would consider evil.'

"She is e-"

'Shut up. Echidna has been nothing but kind to you since you remembered your endless looping. She has offered you an idea on stopping this loop, and what did she get in return? You comparing her to her friends murderer!'

"No! I-I-"

'Then instead of apologizing for that, what do you do? You choke her, after she made you a Bento, again! All because she denied helping you slaughter some pigs!'

"But she is willingly allowing this to continue! To let my Mother die! To let my dad die!"

'And did you not question her as to why? Why she wouldn't help you? Why would she risk continuing this pain and suffering?'

"I tried-"

'No you didn't! You cared not for as to why she wouldn't help you! All you cared for was that she wasn't at your beck and call!'

"How else am I supposed to feel!? She left me to die for over a million loops! She left me alone to fend for myself countless times! She let my MOM to die! What do you expect me to do!?"

'Save them.'

Subaru paused. What did he say? Save them? Save them? Save them!?

"That's what I've been trying to do!"

'From what I hear, all you want to do is kill them. That sounds much more villainous than a couple of burglars.'

"Shut Up!"

"Whoa! I just came to check up on you and this is the kind of reaction I get? I think I should have just listened to Kaz, save me the trouble!"

Subaru froze.

Where was he?

Warily looking around, Subaru recalled himself running in one of the many hallways of the school. Now though, he was on top of a staircase. A swinging door sat behind him, a pair of chains tightly wrapped around the handles making it difficult to go through. Unless you had superpowers that is. How he got there, Subaru didn't know. It scared him a little. Was he so frightened that he let his legs carry him wherever they wanted?

"Now you're spacing out on me? God, you're worse than Rio! At least she has the decency to appear like an airhead! You constantly look like you're listening, but really aren't! Rude, if I say so myself."

Looking up, Subaru finally took in the sight of the one who brought him out of his melancholy, if but briefly. Standing in front of him, a can in each hand, was a girl. Long flowing dark hair reached her back, with raven colored eyes. The happiest grin that could be displayed worn proudly across her face. A pair of gloves that covered her hands and arms reached into her uniform, the ends to never be seen.

Subaru recognized her.

She was a girl in Subaru's class. Top notch grades, passionate about everything, and a happy-go-lucky personality to boot. Everything she did she excelled at and everything she touched seemed to radiate life. Well, not that she touched anything directly.

No matter what anybody did, she never took off her gloves. Not when some asked (creepy request indeed), nor when getting wet or extremely hot. Nothing would get those gloves off, and that was a catalyst for rumors to erupt. The most popular one was that she was abused at home, and she wore the gloves to cover up the bruises and scars. One of the more notable rumors was that she wore them because whatever she touched blew up. It wasn't very popular, more of a joke than anything, but still an interesting one.

She was Shiina Tamai, school queen, the garden clubs resident caretaker, or as Subaru preferred to call her-

"Class Rep." Subaru mumbled. As he was about to let his head roll to the ground, he had the briefest of moments to catch the black can that was thrown at his head. A surprised look crossed his features as he looked at the smug Rep in front of him.

"How many times do I have to tell you to not call me by that stupid title! We've been together for how long and you still can't grow the balls to call me by my own name?" She said as she fell roughly next to him. She cracked open her can. "Seriously, if you can't do that, how are you ever gonna get a girlfriend!?"

"I don't want to hear that from the girl who can't help but talk about my genitals." Subaru couldn't help but chuckle when she spit out her drink, a deep red blush across her face. Subaru set down the drink, saving it for later.

"You know! That's exactly the attitude that would turn girls off from you! Besides your mopey dopey attitude, and your scary face… and your love for mayonnaise." She bit the thumb on her nail. "Oh, I seriously think your too far gone."

Subaru flinched at that, her words resembling something that a white haired girl had told him. Shaking it off, he covered it up by acting hurt.

"Gah! My heart! Why have you wounded me so!" She smiled at that, but even he could tell he wasn't fooling anyone. God, and here Subaru thought he was good at acting. Sighing, he looked down. "So, what're you here for? To get me in trouble or drag me back to class and make be apologize to Echidna?"

He wasn't sure if he wanted to.

"Echidna's her name, huh? Sounds nice. Anyways, I didn't come here for that. I know you well enough by now to know that you wouldn't apologize to anyone. Well, not meaningfully at least." Shiina said as she took another sip of her tea before setting it down. Looking Subaru in the eyes, he couldn't help but flinch when he looked into that sea of darkness. Something felt off about it. "You choked a girl, a girl who just transferred here a week ago, a girl who seemed to take a liking to you if the bento she made for you is any indication. And you choked her. Why?"

"That's none of your business!" Subaru barked a little too loudly. The suddenness of this cause both Shiina and Subaru to flinch. Neither had expected it, but the look Shiina gave him told him All he needed to know; she wasn't going to let up. Leaning on the side of the railing, Subaru sighed again- his eyes feeling heavy. "I… I don't know myself. One moment we were joking around and the next I was on the ground, and Echidna was coughing like she swallowed something disgusting. I-I don't know what's going on with me…"

Shiina leaned back when she heard this. She could have said a number of things, like "I understand," or "It's fine, everything will be alright" or something along the lines of that, but she wasn't a liar. She wasn't going to lie about understanding how he felt, when he himself probably didn't even know. She wasn't going to tell him that everything was going to be fine, when in all-likely-hood the White Beauty was going to press charges. Then at best he would be expelled. At worst, jail.

She hated sugarcoating things.

"Well, I can probably help you find out what's wrong with you, but I'm guessing that you'll just brush me off even in this state, huh?"

Subaru couldn't help but agree with her.

They sat like this in silence. Subaru, a pained look on his face, leaned against the railing in sorrow. Shiina, appearing indifferent, quietly sipped her beverage. Both pondering- What now?

"H-hey." Subaru spoke weakly, his face away from her. She nodded, even if he couldn't see her. "Why are you talking to me anyways? I-I mean I know you came to ask a question, but why? Wouldn't it be easier just to get a teacher involved?"

"Dumbass, why would I do that?" That response startled him. "Why would I drag a friend into the ringer, even if their time is limited? I would rather have them talk to me face to face than from behind bars."

"I'm not sure if that is reassuring or not." Subaru responded lazily. He knew Echidna wouldn't press charges. She didn't do anything to him after he choked her, so he was sure that she wouldn't do anything now. Especially after this loop, his mistake will be washed away. Speaking of- "Hey, Tamai-"

"Shiina." She interrupted. Subaru looked at her curiously. "Call me Shiina. We've known each other long enough to be close enough for that. Also, no honorifics, too formal for me."

"O-ok." Subaru stuttered. That took him aback. He was sure that he hasn't known her for long. Shrugging it off, he continued with the original topic. "Tam- I mean Shiina" that felt weird coming out. "If, hypothetically speaking, a pair of burglars broke into your house, with the intent to kill your family, would you kill them?"

They stared at each other for a while. Subaru, nervously waiting for Shiina answer. Shiina, looking deep into Subaru's hazel eyes, slowly narrowing. Fidgeting, Subaru couldn't help but feel nervous under her gaze. It was like he was being judged, which he probably was.

"Save them." She answered. Subaru flinched, again, at her answer. What did she mean by save them? Save the burglars when his family fought back? What? Seeing the confusion on his face, Shiina clarified. "I would save my family. If the burglars are after my family, I would save them."

"What?" Subaru grinded his teeth. That wasn't the answer he wanted. "You wouldn't kill the burglars? You would save your family? Wouldn't killing them solve everything?"

"It wouldn't." Shiina said, to the shock of Subaru. "The burglars are after your family, so wouldn't it be more prudent if you focused on saving your family first, then the burglars?"

"What?" Subaru stupidly responded. Shiina smiled at this, finding it amusing.

"Ok, let me put it like this- if the burglars are after your parents, wouldn't it be safe to assume that all they're after is your parents?" Subaru nodded. This made sense after all, why go for a obstacle when the goal was right in front of you? Subaru's eyes widened in realization. Shiina smiled even more. "I see you're coming around. If you remove their goal, that removes your obstacle. Meaning-"

"I'd be able to focus on the burglars." Subaru smiled. A grin wide across his face. "I think I get it now. I'm sorry to have bothered you with this."

"It's no biggie. But seriously, you need to work on your priorities. It's like saying you would rather kill the abusive father than save the abused daughter." She swallowed at that, before hastily drinking her drink. "Anyways, why did you ask that? Not planning to kill any intruders anytime soon, are ya?"

"Not right now." Subaru coughed. It wasn't a lie. It wasn't like he didn't want to kill the guy, but he was going to focus on his family first. Grabbing his drink, he popped it open, and took a swig. It was bitter; Black Tea. It was weird how all the girls he knew got him Black Tea. "Hey, if you don't mind me asking, how did you know I liked Black Tea."

"Ugh, you ask me this every time. We've been together since we were kids! You'd think I'd pick up on what you liked or don't like by now."

For the umpteenth time that day, Subaru froze. A chill ran down his spine as he slowly set down his drink. Slowly, with wide eyes, Subaru turned his head to Shiina, who smiled at him.

They've been together since Childhood?

She was lying. She had to be.

Standing up, she started walking down the steps, a sway to her hips that he may have found arousing if not for the shock he was still in.

"Anyways, I'm late for class. I'd suggest going home early. Gossip is already swarming the school!"

With that, she was gone. The feeling she left Subaru though was not. Fear encroached itself into him, as he pondered her words. They were friends since Childhood? That had to be a lie. A sick joke.

But why, in his heart, did he believe her?

Shaking his head, he shoved the thought to the back of his mind. This mystery was for another day.

Right now, he needed to plan.

* * *

Subaru had spent hours on that stairway. During that time, he had been given time to think. Thinking about the past, present and future. Thinking about what to do with the intruders. Thinking about what to do with Echidna.

He had come to many conclusions, and a few solutions. One of the many conclusions he had come to was that he didn't know what to do with the burglars.

Sure, he had changed the objective from killing them to saving his family first (he wasn't sure what would happen to the intruders afterwards), but that didn't change the fact that the events of the last loop changed. Only one of them had come to the top floor, while the other entered the bottom. The first loop had both of them coming from the top floor. Who could say that, that wouldn't change?

So Subaru came to the conclusion that he couldn't predict exactly what would happen during the loops, but he could still predict something similar would happen. The solution… was something he didn't really want to go through with, but if it was to save his mother, he would do anything.

So as he walked down the silent hallway leading to the school lockers, he couldn't help but bite his lip. Subaru really didn't want to do this, but if she was on his side, he was sure that everything would work out. No matter how much he hated her, and her insistence to keeping out of his affair, she was in this as much as he was. She was going to help whether she wanted to or not.

With this in mind, Subaru couldn't say he was surprised when he turned the corner to the row where his locker was, and a white haired Witch leaned on said locker. Her smile content, arms crossed and the bruises on her neck gone. Even with the recent events, he couldn't help but feeling that she could have cared less. In fact-

Echidna seemed to be brimming with joy.

Subaru didn't even need to say anything to gain her attention. When he stopped in front of the row, she removed herself from the locker, a triumphant look upon her face, her arms still crossed. It irked him, but he would swallow his pride, just for the one time. For his mother.

"Echidna." Subaru started. He said it in the nicest way possible, but it still came out forced. If Echidna noticed this, she didn't let it show. Her smile set in stone upon her face, it seemed.

"Yes, Subaru?" She responded, her voice cheery. It probably didn't even betray her true emotions.

"Echidna, I want to-" Subaru stopped, an unsure expression setting itself upon his face. Was this the right decision? Was it right to put his trust in this Witch, who let him die countless times? Who let his family die countless times? Biting his lip in anger, he looked her in the eyes. Subaru had to, not to kill the intruders, but to save his family. To make sure his mother didn't suffer again for his mistake, no matter how little. He took a deep breath, preparing himself.

"Echidna, I want to make a deal." Subaru started. For once, Echidna didn't seem to be listening just for the sake of listening. Her face was set in stone, like she was judging him and each word that slipped between his teeth. "I will not apologize for what I have done, but I hope you will hear me out. I want you to help me in this loop, and in exchange I'll let you do whatever you would want with me."

It might have sounded arrogant for Subaru to think that offering himself would hold any bargaining power; conceited even, but it wasn't. From what Subaru had experienced thus far, Echidna had a fascination with him. She had claimed to long to record every possible scenario in each loop.

Echidna, in response, merely raised an eyebrow.

"Alright. So, explain to me- why would you possibly think that I would want anything to do with you? Especially after you choked me?" Echidna asked, geniuinly curious as to how he came up with that resolution.

"Because no matter what I've done, you have stuck by my side. I have choked you, accused you of using me and compared you to your friends murderer, yet you still stay by my side." Subaru explained. He lifted his finger into the air and made a swirling motion. "No matter how many loops, you have stayed by my side, and if I had to guess, you will continue to do so after I've failed. There has to be a reason behind that."

"Oh? And what could that possibly be?" Echidna smirked. He couldn't tell if this was the right move or not with her. She could find this amusing or could be impressed by his intellect. Subaru didn't know.

"Your curiosity has no bounds. I'm not very smart, but through these three loops you have constantly placed flags down that makes it clear that you see me as something of a plaything. You listed off numerous loops where I succumbed to insanity. You have told me you wish to become my personal record keeper, and most importantly, you've left me all alone. To fend for my family and myself."

"Ara, that is true, but what makes you think I'm going to help off of you listing off facts? A child could accomplish those mundane tasks." Echidna spoke, her smirk increasing in size. It was borderline maniac by now. "What makes you think that I would incline myself to help with your cause?"

"Because you yourself have gotten bored of it." Subaru responded, Echidna smirk still on her face. "You stated in the last loop you wished for it to end. You say that this was fun, but that is a lie. I've no doubt ran through every possible scenario in each of these loops, and this one is no different. You've probably even had this same conversation, but it doesn't change the fact that you're bored. You want it to end so I can get in even more dangerous situations, which you will no doubt document." Subaru sighed, before holding out his hand, palm out to her. "So I offer you a deal; I will go through whatever you want, but I want you to help me end this endless loop!"

It was silent after that. Echidna staring at Subaru, and vice versa. That was before Echidna gave out a ragged sigh. Shaking her head, she looked at Subaru. Her actions contradicted her emotions though- she acted upset, yet was brimming with excitement. Even the most dense child would be able to tell her current emotion.

"I will agree, on one last condition." Echidna spoke, to which Subaru almost declined before biting his lip. He was so close. "What is your goal?"

"To ki-" Subaru stopped. He almost responded that he wished to kill them. While that was true, he did wish to see them dead, he had learned something important from Shiina. Saving people should take priority. "To save my family. My mother, my father. To keep my household free of intruders. Then afterwards live my life in peace."

Once again, silence was his answer. Subaru was a little scared he screwed up, before Echidna, practically brimming with excitement, turned around. Her back to him, he could her an audible giggle.

"I guess I have no choice then! If you really want to save your family, I feel inclined to help out!" Her laughter was slowly getting out of control. "Come on, beggar! We don't have time to waste!"

"H-Hey! Why are you laughing! H-hey! Wait up! I need to put on my shoes! And why are you laughing even more!"

To Subaru, even through the anger and pain, embarrassment and confusion, he couldn't help but smile as he heard her laugh. It was contagious.

For Echidna, she couldn't help but laugh at this whole situation. She had done this for years, and it was finally coming to a close. She couldn't help but laugh in relief. Subaru had answered correctly.

Also, a Subaru who was serious just looked too funny.

* * *

"Ah! Home sweet home!" Subaru stretched as he walked through the door leading to his room. Echidna soon followed suit, her expression having settled for a small smile. The walk up the slope had been silent, and for one reason or another, easier than previous loops. He suspected the Witch had something to do with it, which he was silently grateful for. His hate for her hadn't vanished, but he could put it aside until they were done. He wasn't that sure if his opinion of her would change after this, seeing as she was the cause for his problems… sort of.

As Subaru fell back on his bed, complaining about how stressful the day had been, Echidna took this time to look around the room. Never, in her eternity of Subaru's suffering, had Subaru invited her to his home. It filled her with untamed curiosity by the thousandth loop what it looked like, and to see it now sated that. It was a simple male room, and as she had guessed, came to be what she envisioned.

As soon as you entered the room, to the right would be a desk with a standard computer with some books stacked next to it. Next to that would be a dresser, with a TV atop it facing the Kotatsu and bed. Next to that, on the next side of the room was a sliding glass door, with a ledge outside. Opposite of the door was the bed, which if Echidna had a say, looked worse than her domains bedding (unfairly judged for her domain was literally a dream). To the left of the door was a closet that was closed.

All in all, the room was tidy yet small. Sadly, it felt dead in personality by the lack of decorations.

"I have to admit, I'm surprised." Echidna spoke walking into the room and closing the door. Subaru's head perked up at this, curious as to what surprised her. "Knowing how you are, I would expect you to have shelves full of Manga and Figurines." She picked up one of the books on his desk, looking it over. "Instead I find books full of literature, theories and historical events. Who knew the NEET Subaru Natsuki was a studious child?"

"Ha~? What're you talking about, Echidna?" Subaru said after he took off his school coat. Getting up, he walked over to his closet, and opened the sliding door. Inside, from what Echidna could describe, was a convergence of anime content. Light Novels, Manga, and Anime situated themselves on shelves proudly showing their titles. Atop the shelve was figurines of different series. FATE, Evangelion, Jojo and others proudly standing in their own Poses. Subaru smirked at Echidna, who had her mouth hanging a little. "Lesson number one Echidna! Never underestimate Subaru Natsuki and his NEET ways!"

"I'm not entirely confident that you should be prideful in a collection of Anime Figurines, Subaru." Subaru visible deflated to this, which Echidna continued to smile at. "I do have to admit though, it is a incredible collection. Maybe you would like to talk about them later?"

"You know how to strike where it hurts and stroke a man's ego Echidna! I think you're too powerful for the world of man!" Subaru said as she took off her coat and laid it next to his on the bed. Almost like a robot, she sat at the Kotastu, her legs hiding itself under the blanket before smiling at him.

"I wouldn't be a Witch if I was weak, now would I?" She said as she leaned her head on her hands. Subaru moved to join her at the table. Subaru leaned on his right hand, similar to her. "I have to say, whatever I was expecting of your family had been blown out of the water today. Your mother is a fascinating woman."

Subaru couldn't help but shudder at the memory. When Subaru and Echidna had entered, Naoko was on Echidna in a flash. Talking about how pretty she was (which she was), how lucky Subaru was to have her (was getting into the no zone), before apologizing to Echidna that Subaru was reckless enough to get her pregnant (which Subaru chucked a plastic cup at her which she caught and threw back and hit him dead in the forehead). Echidna for her part didn't seem to mind, which Subaru came to expect. He didn't know much about her, but from the briefest of time he had been with her, nothing fazed her. Well, almost nothing.

Afterwards, they seemed to hit it off pretty well. Subaru could almost say Echidna fit right in this wacky family of his. Maybe if she hadn't done what she had done, Subaru might have fell for her. Deep inside he wished they were both normal. That none of this crap had happened. But it did, and there was no changing that. Even with his power. That is reality.

"Please, let's not talk about that!" Subaru squeaked in shame. It wasn't normal for him to get flushed so easily, but with what happened with his mom, he could spare himself this once. "I suppose that this wasn't the first time you met her though, right?"

"Actually, the opposite of that is true." Echidna said, surprising Subaru. "Through all these loops, the privilege of entering your home and mingling with your parents had been lost to me. I can finally say that I have met your parents, or mom at least, without lying."

"Dang. I'm honestly surprised by this. So you haven't seen my Mother or Father once yet?" Subaru asked, to which Echidna shook her head.

"I have see your family before, just never met them." To Subaru's suspicious look, Echidna elaborated. "There was a loop in which you had to be picked up from school, and your father had come to pick you up. I must say, he is quite handsome. Makes me wonder how his son will end up."

"I'm not sure if that's a compliment or a jab at my appearance!" Subaru groaned, before leaning his head on the table. "Anyways, I think we need to think of a game plan before dinner. Everything happened after then, so it's safe to assume that we don't need to fear until then."

"Agreed." Echidna said, before stopping. Subaru almost questioned her on this before she spoke up. "Subaru, before we begin, what will you call this ability?"

"Huh?" Subaru responded dumbly. He crossed his arms, his legs under the table and squinted his eyes in focus. "Well, I didn't really think of it with all that's going on. Why do you ask?"

"Just answer it." Echidna commanded. Her face was the embodiment of seriousness. This startled Subaru, but didn't let it show. He scrunched up his face in concentration.

"Well, I guess I could call it 'Rewind' since I'm technically going back in time-" Echidna looked surprised. This would have shocked Subaru if he knew her well enough. "but that sounds dumb… maybe I should call it 'Return by Deat-'"

He stopped. As soon as he was about to finish his sentence, he stopped. Why did he stop? He wasn't sure. But what he did know was that he wasn't safe.

Subaru didn't breath, not of his own free will, but from the simple fact that he couldn't. It wasn't like he was being choked, but at the same time he wasn't breathing willingly. He couldn't move. Not from someone forcefully holding him down, but rather having the ability ripped from his very being.

Echidna looked at him, her expression unmoving. Her chest wasn't moving either, signaling him that she wasn't breathing. The slow movements of her chest moving that was absent worried him greatly. Her eyes looked surprised, and her hair floated in the air in the most peculiar way.

'What is this?'

As soon as he thought that, a dark cloud formed in front if him. It started out small, like a pebble. Slowly though, it grew. So much so that by the time it was done, he couldn't see Echidna anymore. If the black mass hadn't scared him by then, what happened next would.

A hand- no, a claw slowly reached out of the black gas. It reached for him, its pace slow and haunting. Subaru tried to move, scream, run… but it was for naught. The hand touch him, and instead if him being pushed, he felt it move inside of him. Snaking it way from his stomach, to his lung, to his heart. It felt cold; and angry. He could feel as it perverted his body, doing with it as it pleased. Stroking his heart with what could be assumed a loving touch.

Then he felt it.

Around his still heart, he felt the claws clench. Pain enveloped him, as time flowed once again. Spasm of pain forced him to keel over, laying hid head on the table. Whatever that was, was gone, but he knew deep down that it had forever left its mark.

Echidna didn't make a sound when this happened. It was almost like she expected this. She slowly got up, approaching the downed Subaru before she placed a hand on his back.

Subaru felt a hand rub his back. It felt comforting, but he couldn't appear weak, not now. Not in front of her. Even as he thought that, he couldn't help but a cold feeling expand in his stomach.

"What was that!?" Subaru asked, his voice cracking a little. He cursed his voice, but if she noticed or not she didn't let him know. He felt a slight comfirt in that, even if he couldn't tell.

"That was Envy." Echidna answered. Subaru shot her a surprised look. Wasn't Envy the one who killed her friends? Almost like she read his mind, she nodded her head. "Yes, the same Envy who betrayed us all and killed all my friends. She seems to still be around after all." Echidna whispered that last part so Subaru couldn't hear.

"What do you mean that was Envy!?" Subaru asked. Echidna could tell he was frantic, worried even. "What does she want!? Is she trying to kill me!?"

"Nonsense, Subaru." Echidna responded calmly, still stroking Subaru's back. He didn't really mind it, seeing as it was calming him. "If the Witch was willing to kill you, wouldn't you be dead by now?"

Subaru couldn't deny that seeing as he could still feel the claws clenched around his heart, even though it wasn't there.

"Then what was that!? Why did she squish my heart? Is that a threat?" Subaru questioned. Echidna sighed as she got up and went back to her side of the Kotastu.

"I guess you could say it's a threat, but in reality it's more like a warning." Echidna explained, leaning her head in her hands.

"A warning to what? What did I do?"

"You tried telling me what your ability was." Subaru looked shocked. What does his ability have to do with anything?

"Wait! Why would she care about that!? Better yet, how did she even reach me!? Is that her power?"

"Well, how do you think you attained this ability, Subaru?" She gave him a smug look. It wasn't meant to insult, more as a way to tell him that she enjoyed that he was relying on him for answers… again.

"I-" Subaru stopped, her words registering in his head. What did she say? Where did he het this ability? "Are you implying that this ability isn't mine?"

"That's correct. Your deduction skills are better than I had anticipated, not that it surprises me." Of course, she knew everything about him. "Even if it was an elementary deduction."

"Then why did the Witch give me this power!? I'm basically immortal! What could cause someone to give me a… gift(?) like that!?" Subaru questioned a little to loudly. Echidna smiled, amused that he was confused, and for the answer she was about to give.

"It's simple, Subaru." She paused for dramatic affect. Subaru leaned in, buying the bait she had set. She smiled at how he was playing along. "Because she loves you."

An awkward silence filled the room. Slowly, Subaru's face turned red from a mixture of flattery, surprise, and anger.

"W-w-what!?" Subaru asked, confused. He looked her in the eye, almost like he was challenging her to tell him she didn't know. "Why would she be in love with me!? I don't remember running into any Witch besides you!"

"Well, you don't remember a lot of stuff, now do you Subaru?" He flinched at that. Subaru knew it was in jest, but it still hurt. "But to answer your question, I'm not completely sure myself. My Book of Wisdom holds the answers to the world, yet her affection to you is a mystery more than that of the beginning of time itself."

Subaru stared her in the eye. After a minute of her being stared at accusingly, he decided she was telling the truth. Besides, so far she hadn't lied to him… from what he could tell. Sighing he slouched back.

"Alright, then why did she suddenly appear all of a sudden? Was that her way of greeting me? If you want a guy to fall in love with you, you start with a hello, not literally grabbing his heart."

"That, I can answer. For some reason or another she wishes to keep the power she has gifted to you a secret. If I had to hazard a guess, I would say she wishes to keep this a secret between you two, as she would be jealous."

"What?" Subaru asked questioningly. "I don't understand."

"Hmm, let me put it like this." Echidna said, preparing herself for what she was about to explain. "If, say, you and a lover were intimate enough to conduct intercourse-" Subaru blushed at this. "- You and your lover, if both were respectable companions, would keep the act a secret instead of bragging of what had occurred prior. Both would like to keep it a secret. Same applies here; she wants to keep this a secret and would trample on anyone who wants to know." Echidna tapped a finger on the table. "If the flip side happened, she would get increasingly jealous of those who knew the secret , seeing as you would be willing to share secrets with them, but not her."

"I think I understand, but I still don't like the fact that some girl fell in love with me or touched my heart without my consent." Subaru sighed, before a realization fell over him. "Hey, if she's so jealous of me talking to other people about this, why hasn't she appeared earlier? I mean, we talked about the past… future earlier, so wouldn't it make since to stop me then?"

"I do have a few theories on that, but I will save you the trouble of worrying over those little things." Subaru looked at her quizzically, but ignored it. Seemed to be his motto lately *If it caused too much trouble, ignore it.* "The main component is that I already know. She doesn't mind if I talk to you… never mind that, she possibly wants to rip me limb from limb for this, but is refraining. Most likely it's because she knows I just wish to help."

"You took your time getting to that conclusion, huh?"

"I had my reasons, and no I won't tell you them." Subaru looked angry at this, but kept it in. Echidna smiled briefly. "I must admit, I expected you to be more exaggerated than this. You seem to be taking this in stride."

"Well, how else am I supposed to take it? Besides, if I blew up it wouldn't solve anything. Right now I need to focus on the present, not the past or the future."

"Says the guy who could time travel."

"Speaking of time travel, how do you remember everything anyways? I didn't really think of this before, but everyone else seems to forget besides you. Are you an exception?"

"You could say that. It's more like I forced myself to remember." She pointed to the hairpin next to her ear. It was in the shape of a black butterfly. "This, is a Magical Item I made myself. It took a long time, but I was able to find a formula that would allow me to remember future versions of myself, but breaks once I use it. So if I were to use it now, it would break. That's why I only use it when you die."

"I guess that makes sense. I'll probably freak out about it later."

"I'd expect no less from you." Echidna said with a smile. "I believe it's time to change topic. We should discuss the intruders and their intentions. I'm expecting something new happened last loop?"

"Yeah. I gained some Intel on what they want." Echidna looked happy at this bit of news. "and my mom…"

Echidna sighed before sending him an apologetic look. She could make all the excuses she wanted, but she still let his mother die. The worst part was, was that this was the loop where he would succeed. No doubt he will forever remember her death.

"I apologize for that, Subaru. I do hope you forgive me." She sighed again. "Anyways, what is it that the burglars wanted? Money? You? Valuables?"

"Valuables, sort of." Subaru scratched his cheek. "The guy holding my…" He clenched his fist. "Mom hostage mentioned something about a 'Catalyst.' It sounds something like a magical item, so you might know right?"

"You're right, I might know." Echidna cupped her chin. "Where I come from, many people are able to wield magic. Those that can't though, or properly at least, use a thing called a 'Catalyst.'"

"So they would end up using Staffs and Wands to output their magic, right?" Subaru finished. Echidna nodded with a smile. "Huh? Who knew Light Novels could teach me so much!"

"I'm going to disregard that last statement. Anyways, Catalysts are not that hard to come by- from where I come from at least. I have noticed a lack of magic in this place, which worries me a little."

"You've been speaking about this place that you've come from. Where is it? Is it Hogwarts!?"

"No, and I won't tell you. That's a secret that you'll have to find out on your own." Echidna responded, much to the frustration of Subaru. "Now, do you know if anyone in your house is magically aware?"

"Ha! If they were magically aware, I'm sure Mom would be using levitation to clean the house and Dad would constantly use water magic to hit me across the room." Subaru smiled at this, remembering the innocent days of the past when he used to be a Momma's boy. "Subtly isn't their forte."

"I can see that." Subaru looked at her weirdly before he heard a pair of footsteps run down the stairs. Subaru stared at the door before at Echidna.

"Was Mom listening in this whole time!?"

"No, just when you started speaking about the Catalyst. I must say, I need to try out that cup trick myself one day."

"Ugh! I knew something like this would happen!" Subaru groaned. He pulled at the bags under his eyes. "So, is there any other ideas besides the Catalyst being a Magical Item?"

"No. Other than that, it could be a name of a Musical Group, but that is Highly Unlikely." Echidna chuckled. "Is there any other information I should know of?"

"Yeah. Unlike the first loop, only one entered my room. The other went through somewhere on the bottom floor. Probably the back door?"

Echidna's eyes narrowed.

"Well, that's troublesome. If they had a set pattern, I would take care of them myself… actually no. I would have you help out, to build your experience." Subaru raised an eyebrow at this, but nodded nonetheless. "So, off the top of my head, I would like you to camp somewhere downstairs, preferably hidden. I'll camp out in your room."

"Wait! Why don't I hide in my room and you in the living room!? This is my personal domicile and I won't have you disturbing it! Also, how would we tell each other if they're here if both are on the same floor?"

"First, I want to be in your room because I like it here." Subaru shuddered. "And I believe the ruckus would be loud enough to call upon the other. I have full faith you'll make it through this."

"Then what about my parents!? I mean, how are we going to keep them safe?" Subaru asked worriedly. Having his eyes opened made him realize his family always came first. He wouldn't continue with this task unless they were out of the equation. Echidna seemed to catch on to this, to which she smiled proudly at.

"Don't worry about that Subaru. Leave this to me, and they'll come out without a scratch." Echidna smiled mischieviously at this. Subaru squinted his eyes.

"Somehow that makes me even more worried."

A silence overcame them after this. Echidna stared at Subaru, and Subaru stared at Echidna. Well, his gaze was a little lower than her eyes.

It wasn't out of perversion, but out of being in a daze. Thoughts flooded him with what was to come and what had passed. His mom and dad. Their deaths. The burglars.

It had been a trying two days.

"Now Subaru, I don't mind you staring at my breasts, but I have to warn you I'm not as well developed. To be completely honest, I'm a little disappointed with the development of my body. Maybe if I had the chests of Minerva or Sekhmet I would experience the condition known as back cramps."

"Heh! Sorry Echidna! I was lost in thought." Subaru scratched the back of his head before getting up. "Anyways, we have a long while before it begins." He went over to his TV, and pulled out a console in the drawer. "Wanna play some games while we wait?"

Echidna stared at him for a second, before smiling. This Subaru was just like the very first one, the one she grew to care for. 'I miss those days.'

"Sure." She said before sitting down on his bed as he handed her a controller.

This was going to be the last loop.

If not for him, for her.

* * *

 **Ok, so it's official. This is gonna be a Zero x Marvel (Earth-1610) x Young Justice. I think it would be fun and would give me more freedom to mess around. For those who worry about crossover contradictions like the Nova Corps and Green Lantern Corps, or Mutants vs. Meta-Humans, I have that planned out. I will be making a series of shorts tying the world together if you're interested. I'm also willing to listen to ideas for this and the shorts fic. It can be anything.**

 **For those who are disinterested by this development, please forgive me. I hope you stick around though.**

 **Now, for those wondering what the hell took so long. I read two Manga for inspiration and to take notes on story telling whilst writing this. The first one was Magi. I remember awhile back when Magi was on its very first chapter I hated it for being Childish. Years later, having matured plenty, I went back. Got to say, I took a lot of politics from this, in a weird way.**

 **Now the second one… I suggest you never read. Not because it's bad, but so good that the ending made me depressed for hours. I'm still slightly hit by it, and thinking back on it, I tear up a little.**

 **It goes by the name Narutaru.**

 **For those who don't care for reason it- _the ending consisted of a child going through the most horrifying thing you could think of as a 13 year old. Being the cause of the world dying by being unable to stop someone, losing the father who did everything for you. Finally coming to terms with your mother who left you for years, just to be shot gunned by some strangers who accused you of their lives being ruined, and going to your lover just to see him die because of some muggers._ \- definitely read it if you wanna question your existence. Or a good read. Definitely not for the faint of heart. Took away some good ideas from this.**

 **So that's that. I should apologize for the poor quality of this chapter. I was mostly writing off the top of my head. I'll try to do better. And if anyone is wonder why Subaru was talking to himself- I know a few people, including myself who do that when stressed out. And Subaru has been seen to do that too when he found out his ability, but his it under the guise of speaking aloud.**

 **That's all.**

 **Reviews-**

 **ireallyloveanime46 \- Well you got your wish mate. Now it's a three way. Thanks for the help in my decision!**


	5. Run Away With Me

**Reviews are always responded too at the Bottom! Thank you!**

 **Ok, probably the worst chapter I have ever wrote. Sorry, I got no excuses. I'll probably come back one day and fix this mess. Anyways, enjoy it, or try to at least.**

 **Gosh I sound so mean.**

* * *

What was this?

Back tracking to around ten minutes ago, Subaru and Echidna were in the heat of their gaming session. For a being who knew all and everything, she could admit gaming wasn't her forte. Subaru hadn't went easy on her either, which made her try harder. All this was cut short when Kenichi had busted down the door.

Kenichi had came to tell them dinner was ready. Both had varying reactions to his entrance. Subaru was freaking out over the busted entryway and Echidna was almost tempted to get to know Kenichi after that. No one in her life, besides friends, rivals and enemies treated her presence with such a 'Meh' response.

At what could be best described as a table of mayo, the family sat on the three sides, each having a fork and knife in hand. Their faces downcast as curry sat in front of them, a bottle of mayo in the middle of everyone. No one said a thing, nor did they move.

It surprised her, for she expected Subaru to complain about his door.

The first one to do anything was Kenichi, who instead of going for the curry, he turned his head to his wife.

"Naoko, what is this?" Kenichi asked, his voice monotone even when asking a question. Naoko looked up from her own plate to stare her husband dead in the eyes.

"It is curry, dear." Naoko responded, her voice as monotone as his. Kenichi nodded his head.

"Ah. So what is it doing on our plates?" Kenichi asked, monotone still. It could have been interpreted as rude, but Naoko apparently didn't see it that way.

"It's our dinner for tonight, dear." Naoko answered. "I can't have our guest go through what our last guest did. It's became apparent that outside of our family Mayonnaise centered food isn't the appropriate meal."

Unknown to Echidna, Naoko was extremely dense. Light headed even, but that didn't stop her from learning from her mistakes. She disliked disappointing strangers heavily. So much so that she refined her skills to fix that mistake.

Kenichi and Subaru nodded in synch, huffing silently. The memory of the last guests disgust at their dinner imprinted in their mind.

"Ah. Subaru, son, I believe it is proper etiquette to introduce your parents to your… friend. Especially considering your circumstances." Kenichi said as Subaru turned to his father, his face shadowed, same as his family.

It was honestly unnerving Echidna.

"Oh? Father, are you implying that my friend and I are in some special kind of relationship?" Subaru questioned, monotone as the rest of his family. It was weird how just a few minutes ago Subaru and her were fighting over who would be the winner in their fighting game, to the now monotone Subaru. It was unnerving.

"Of course. Why else would a girl who isn't a relative enter our household? It can only be one thing, and one thing alone." Kenichi said as he leaned into Subaru's face. "You and your 'friend' have begun an intimate relationship in which she has been impregnated."

"Oh? And where is the proof?" Subaru asked as both if them looked at Echidna. For her part, she had a hand on her stomach which the family misinterpreted as evidence. In reality she was holding her stomach for hunger.

For clarification, Echidna didn't need to consume by ordinary means to sustain her form. Instead, she constantly consumed her Mana. But her body still craved food and drinks, even if she didn't need it to live.

Both Subaru and Kenichi looked at each other. Naoko looked between the two before getting up. One by one, she moved the dinner to an island table, away from the two along with a curious looking Echidna.

"See, your girlfriend is pregnant. Are you going to take responsibility or will I have to force you too?" Kenichi threatened before Subaru looked him in the eyes. Echidna finally understood why Naoko moved her from the table.

"Tsk. I expected more from you gramps! Empty threats are still empty threats!" Subaru said before upper cutting the older man who was still leaning into Subaru. Echidna couldn't help but cover her mouth with her hand. Not in shock or disapproval, but in amusement.

The older man backed up a few paces before straightening himself out. Looking at Subaru, Kenichi twisted his body to face the side. One foot faced Subaru, the other to the side. One arm faced downward while the other was guarded his stomach.

Kenichi was in a a Kenpo stance.

Subaru, in response, loosened his body before twisting his body slightly away from his opponent. Both arms were brought up in a guard, one arm far from his body while the other was closer to his body. Compared to his father, it seemed like Subaru didn't know many stances, or any at all seeing how he was in a casual brawler stance.

A little disappointing if she had to say so.

Without any warning, the two started exchanging shots. Subaru would mostly be on the defensive, being pushed back and getting pummeled. Kenichi seemed to be more of an upfront guy, going in for soft taps rather than full on punches, which seemed very effective. It wasn't to say that Subaru wasn't getting any punches in. In fact, Subaru got a surprising amount on his father, who seemed like an expert martial artist.

Unlike his father, Subaru seemed to be more cunning and brutal in his deliveries. Subaru utilized his smaller frame more often by dodging more than blocking, going in for quick jabs at soft spots and using feints a lot more. It also didn't help that Subaru was completely unpredictable.

That was the problem with fighting those who didn't use a style and was used to fighting. Unless you were a master, and sometimes even then, a complete novice could overpower them.

It reminded Echidna of a saying: "The best swordsman doesn't fear the second best, he fears the worst swordsman for the worst is unpredictable."

"Does that happen often?" Echidna asked. She could already tell what the answer was.

"Yeah, but Kenichi has a lot of money, so we don't need to worry. It's just a chore to clean everything up and replace it all." Echidna absentmindedly nodded her head.

Echidna, while watching this scene, couldn't help but compare it to her own adopted family. In many ways, this could be seen as the same thing. While they didn't have mock fights, they did argue and disagree a lot. Minerva reprimanding Typhon on how she unfairly judged people, before healing what Typhon had damaged (for those who were innocent of course). Carmilla and Sekhmet both staying silent, one too timid to speak and the other to lazy too. Then her and Daphne discussing on possibilities in curing her endless hunger.

Even though they never met alive, Echidna missed them.

She missed those days.

Echidna shook her head. This would definitely be the last loop if she continued thinking like that.

Then it started.

Slowly but surely, Subaru started to pit more pressure on Kenichi. His movements went from slow to fast in a blink, and before Echidna could count to ten, Kenichi had been punched in the chin.

"Subar-Win!" Naoko announced before moving the plates back to the table.

It was silent before a low chuckle broke the still air. Everyone looked and saw Echidna trying to cover her mouth from everyone. Calming down, Echidna smiled at everyone before giving a deep bow.

"My Name is Echidna, and I am in your care."

* * *

Dinner after the show Echidna had been shown was great, in her opinion. Naoko had been a pleasant breath fresh of air to be around since starting this nightmare. While some topics fell flat on their face between the two, those that didn't prospered like an unending river. One such topic came in the form of Subaru.

Said boy had shut them up quickly (or tried to at least). Kenichi had intervened and Echidna got all the juicy, embarrassing secrets about Subaru. Like how he didn't stop sleeping with his parents until he was thirteen. Subaru got them to stop after that, but Naoko told her to visit later if she wished to hear more, and to see his baby pictures, which Echidna gladly agreed too.

Kenichi had a much more tense atmosphere around him. Like he was constantly judging anything and everything. Assessing everything to see which was and was not a threat. Including her.

Something about Kenichi set her on edge slightly. Like he put on an air of ignorance but knew more than he let on. Much, much more. Echidna made a note to check her Book of Wisdom on him later. Maybe. She did enjoy uncovering secrets on her own after all.

Subaru was… Subaru. This was a side of him that she hadn't seen since the first loop. His smile joyful and genuine. His laughter when he had won happy, and not strained. It filled her with nostalgia and pride at the memory of the first Subaru.

She would shape him in that image.

"Echidna, I forgot to ask, is it alright for you to be out this late?" Kenichi asked as Subaru barked at him for a insult Kenichi had given him. Kenichi just held up a hand in a stopping motion, that didn't even have any effect. "You must have a curfew, right? Especially if you're visiting your boyfriends house. Do you need a ride home?"

"She's not my girlfriend!" Subaru denied. Kenichi looked at him disapprovingly.

"It's alright, Mr. Natsuki." Echidna said, ignoring the boyfriend remark. It would help if Subaru's family believed that they were together to get them out of the house. "My family is exceedingly lenient with what I do in my spare time. All that they ask of me is do well in school and stay out of trouble."

"Well if you say so." Kenichi said as before he took another bite of the curry. Wincing at the spicy flavor it contained, he swallowed. "Still, it wouldn't be in good conscience to leave a maiden to walk home alone. I'll drive you home tonight."

"Again, it's fine." Echidna denied, waving her hand. "In honesty, I would prefer it if Subaru walked me home. It may sound selfish, but I would feel safer if he were to accompany me."

"That sounds fair." Kenichi agreed, to which Subaru's mouth dropped. "Subaru needs the exercise anyways!"

"Wait!" Subaru interrupted. "I'm not gonna walk her home! She can take care of herself! Besides, if she wants me to go With her, why don't we both ride in the car?"

"Subaru! That's rude!" Kenichi said before wacking Subaru in the back of the head. Subaru rubbed his sore spot. "You shouldn't say stuff like that about your girlfriend! I thought I raised you better than this!"

"She isn't my girlfriend!" Subaru said, a little frustrated. While the conversation in his room and gaming had calmed him down a little from his initial hate of Echidna, but it was still there. If only a little, he was repulsed by the idea that she was his anything.

"Ah. That does hurt more than it should, Subaru." Echidna said, while pretending to wipe away tears. "I understand that you may be embarrassed by the suddenness of my confession and it may take time for you to accept me, but I hope you one day do."

"Oh, you poor thing." Naoko said, holding the acting Echidna in her arms. "If Subaru doesn't accept you, we sure will."

"That's right, honey!" Kenichi said as he grabbed Subaru in a headlock. He started giving Subaru a noogie. "Now Subaru, look what you did! You made the poor girl cry!"

"I didn't, she's acting! See! She isn't even crying!"

"Oh? So she had to cry to get an apology from her lover! God, you're vile!"

"I'm not! And stop messing with my head! It's annoying!"

"Not until you apologize to Echidna here!"

"It's fine, Mr. Natsuki." Echidna interrupted. She gave Subaru a set smile. "Subaru is shy, so I have no doubt he will show affection to me once we're alone. Either way, I forgive him for his insults and shortcomings! I'll always be by his side, even through his multiple rejections!"

"I never rejected you! And stop insulting me and twisting the situation in your favor!" Subaru said before the noogie intensified.

"Shut it Subaru! Echidna, I'm sorry that my Bastard of a sons words! He usually isn't like this, I swear!" Kenichi said, trying to cover up for his sons unusual behavior. "If you ever need anything, just tell us! I'll have Subaru here help you with whatever you need!"

"Aye! I'm not some slave you can whip into submission to do your dirty work!" Subaru rebuked, but his father didn't listen. "You can't do this to me!"

"Thank you for your offer, but I would rather not burden anyone with my requests." Echidna turned down the offer, much to the surprise to the family. "Just being near Subaru is enough for me. If I were to be honest, his insults don't even deject me that much. Knowing that he's thinking of me, in ill or light, brings me comfort."

'Oh, she's a keeper!' Both Kenichi and Naoko both thought. Shaking his head, Kenichi released Subaru, much to the latter's relief. Naoko, acting out of character, leaned into Echidna's face, an excited glint in her eyes.

"We insist, Echidna. If you need anything, we'll be more than happy to assist you." Naoko monotone voice spoke to her. Echidna acted sheepishly.

"Ah, well there might be something." Echidna said, rubbing her hands together between her legs, acting shy. Subaru gave her a look, but nobody paid him any attention. "As selfish as it is, I have something to discuss with Subaru that is really important to me. I would rather be alone when discussing this topic."

"That's fine, right Subaru?" Kenichi said, laughing and slapping Subaru repeatedly on the back, much to Subaru's frustration. "After dinner, you and Subaru are welcomed to go back to his room and discuss whatever!"

"Not to be rude, Mr. Natsuki, but I would rather not risk any eavesdroppers. This is an extremely personal matter and if this gets out to anyone, I fear I may be a little more than perturbed." Echidna clarified. Kenichi was nodding along, but after a second of silence, Kenichi stood up.

"Hey, are you suggestin' that my wife and I leave our home so you can have some secret conversation!?" Kenichi asked. By the tone of his voice, Echidna could deduce that Kenichi was against the idea. Echidna simply just nodded. "No! No way I'm gonna leave my house just bec-"

"Shut it, dear." Naoko interrupted.

"Yes mam." Kenichi said as he straightened himself out. Kenichi was a strict man, a kind man, but most of all, a ladies man. Specifically his wife's man. Naoko set down her spoon that she was using to eat curry with, and gave Echidna a small smile which said girl returned.

"We would be glad if you discussed what you need to after dinner. My husband and I will go for a walk to there is no need to worry about any eavesdroppers." Naoko offered, to which Echidna genuinely nodded gratefully for.

"Wait! Honey, we can't do that! This is our house, and we have a right to decline this! No, never mind that! Two teens alone in the house spells disaster!"

"And she is our guest. I believe it would be kinder to leave Subaru and Echidna alone than sending them out in the cold. Is there something wrong with that?" Naoko said, to which Kenichi exaggerated a shocked expression. "Besides, even if they planned to step up their relationship in a sexual way, what's to say they hadn't done it before?"

"Wha-" Kenichi stammered stupidly and Subaru blushed heavily. Kenichi was stupefied at the prospect of his son getting laid at a younger age than him, but it should have been obvious. Subaru was a looker at his age, but awkward. Subaru blushed for obvious reasons.

"Subaru! Is this true!" Kenichi yelled.

"What!? No! I never had sex with Echidna! We aren't even dating! Right, Echidn- why are you acting like you're embarrassed! We never had sex! Stop acting so sheepish!"

Dinner had settled down after that, going into a normal pace that Subaru couldn't say he enjoyed. He continued to deny sexual relations with Echidna, Echidna would act like she was embarrassed, Kenichi would abuse his son, and Naoko acted like it was a normal day.

Well, guess normal wouldn't really be applied here. More like excessive abuse on Subaru's part.

Afterwards, Naoko and Kenichi had left them alone, and Subaru with the task of cleaning the dishes. It was here that Echidna finally dropped the act of an innocent girl.

"Phew! I must admit, your family sure is a handful." Echidna said, giving Subaru a wry smile. Subaru just grumbled in response. "Oh, my apologize. I guess I should have taken your feelings on the matter into consideration. Although, it was a necessity. I hope you understand."

"I understand, but you could have at least toned it down a bit." Subaru grumbled while washing the dishes. "Having my parents lecture me on the birds and the bees is the last thing I want. I bet you they're scheming to teach me of the consequences right now!"

"Ah, I do apologize for that. Although it was a necessity." Echidna said as she got up and move next to Subaru. "Do you wish for me to help? I could get the dishes done faster so you could prepare for the ambush."

"Oh, almost forgot about that." Subaru honestly said. He out the last dish in the dish washer and closed it. "But it's fine. I already finished, besides knowing you, you probably haven't touched a dish in a millennium."

"Well, that isn't a lie." Echidna admitted. Being in an endless loop in which consequences didn't matter gave her some leeway in avoiding dishes. "Onto another matter, shouldn't you prepare yourself for the ambush?" She urged.

"Yeah, I should." Subaru spoke in monotone. He was extremely worried, but wasn't really good on expressing that emotion. "I'll go get it, then we'll start."

Echidna nodded in confirmation. Watching as Subaru walked towards an unknown part of the house. She could hear a door open and close, leaving her alone to her thoughts.

It was weird. For Subaru, who in just a few loops, went from a kind but awkward kid, to a man wanting nothing but to see his enemies at his feet. Echidna couldn't help but feel proud that he had changed his mind. But that brought up, why? Why did he change his mind?

In every loop that had a scenario of him having the bloodlust of a mass shooter, there had never been a change in him. He never went to her for guidance, nor brought her along. After the loop where he realized her identity, he treated her like an outcast. There was no exception.

Well, he still did treat her badly, but it seemed like he was slowly warming up to her. She understood where he came from, but again, what was with the change of heart? Echidna couldn't accept the he could be swayed to the right side, especially after witnessing the murder of a loved one.

It reminded her of a loop, in another world, with a blue haired devil. Even in those loops, he relentlessly killed the accusers. It didn't matter to him if they had lives outside of their job or if they were being forced into it, he killed them all.

It might be hypocritical to say this, but killing isn't the answer.

"Alright, I'm ready." Echidna would have jumped if she wasn't so in control of her emotions. Looking at Subaru, she noticed nothing about him had really changed, except for the gun in his right hand. Echidna couldn't help but stare at it. "What? It's a gun, you've heard about them right?"

"Of course I heard about them, I'm just curious about how you intend to use it after all." Echidna said, leaning on her left hand, giving him a bored expression. Subaru gave her a look, then looked at the gun in his hand.

"Well, in the last loop I had planned on using it for self defense, and keeping them at a distance. Stupidly I thought I could knock them out with it, so I screwed up. This time I'm going to use it as a threat, since I have more questions I want answered." Subaru said.

"Ah, but what about when their usefulness comes to an end?" Echidna asked, subtly implying that she believed he would kill them.

"I don't know? Knock them out? Make them sit and wait as the cops get here? I'll decide after everything is said and done." Subaru answered as he gave a shrug. Echidna gave him a hard stare, before sighing and looking away. She knew that accusing him would just put her in a bad light again. She would just have to trust that he would choose the right path.

"Reasonable. I'm going to go to your room and wait. I suggest you do the same." Echidna said, to which Subaru nodded too, absentmindedly inspecting the gun. Echidna noticed the safety was on, but didn't say anything. If he really wanted to kill them, he would have to use that brain of his.

Subaru watched as Echidna walked up the steps to his room. As soon as she was out of sight, he glanced back at the pistol, then to where she had left. Right then and there, he made a promise; to keep her safe from harm.

He had realized it, but in all honesty didn't want to admit it. Deep down he held some feelings for her. It wasn't love, but a sort of admiration and… kinship? It was hard to describe, but he felt drawn to her. Like a moth to a flame.

A very, very dangerous flame.

Sighing, he decided it was time to get a move on. Looking around the house, he looked for a place to hide. It wasn't that hard to find, seeing as the living room was spacious.

Making his way over to the front door, he took a right and opened another door. Looking inside, there were a row of suits and jackets hung, for convenience.

It was the living room closet.

It was a great place to hide, for him at least. When he was a kid, Subaru used to play hide and seek a ton. He was always small enough to fit inside the tiniest of spaces. Subaru could have hidden anywhere in the house, but he always went to this closet. He was always found because of this.

Subaru gave a low chuckle. It was funny how 13 years later he would come back to the same place.

It alm-

Click*

'What was that?' Subaru thought. It was hard to hear, but it was distinct. It was like there was a scratching noise, but constantly making clicks alongside it. Looking at the door, he couldn't help but jump when he saw the lock twitch, ever so slightly. Slowly, it moved, as did the clicking became more prominent. It took only a second for Subaru to realize what was going on. 'Crap!'

Subaru hurriedly shoved himself in the closet. He closed the door as quickly as he could, paying mind to keep silent. He couldn't stop the slight creak it gave though as it closed, and the snap as it locked itself in place. It caused Subaru no small amount of stress as the sound was reverberating in his ears.

There was nothing he could do now though, as the clicking sound came to a sudden stop. Subaru held his breath in anticipation as the Front door slowly creaked open, the hinge having already passed its time and was in dire need of replacement. Being able to see through the blinds was also a huge help (and stress receiver). Slowly, almost as if purposefully aiming to cause Subaru stress, the door opened. As the outside frame passed his view, he was able to see the assailants hand.

Then the arm came into view, followed by the shoulder. Another hand came into view, this one with a gun. The rest of the body followed through.

Standing there, in a crouched position, was the intruder from the last two loops. He wore the same black clothing and mask that withheld any sight of skin from him beside his eyes.

Subaru twitched. His eyes constricted, his palms started shaking and sweat began to pour from each core on his body. His knees buckled with a sudden weight as he tried to keep himself upright.

Fear wasn't the cause of these reactions. No, if it was that, Subaru knew he would have been able to at least laugh half of that off. No, this was something that he didn't have control over, and would come despise himself over later.

It was blinding hot rage.

Later, Subaru would regret not being able to hold himself back, for as soon as he saw the hidden face of the intruder, he gave a sharp kick to the door. The door broke open with a loud crack. Not given the time to evade, the door swung and hit the intruder in the shoulder. An unexpected crack was heard, but Subaru paid no heed to the sound, only the intruder.

"Tomoe!" Another voice yelled out, which Subaru didn't even here. The intruder seemed to be reeling from the shock of the door smashing his arm. For Subaru this was perfect. There was no wasted movements as Subaru kneed the man's chin, pushing the intruder back to the wall. Subaru raised the firearm and smashed it against the intruders face. Part of the mask fell off, revealing a pained face. "Stop it!"

Suddenly Subaru was tackled to the ground. The shock of it caused Subaru to flinch, and the pain of being thrown to the ground caused him to gasp. The female held Subaru there, locking his arms in a hug. Subaru tried to pry out of her hold, but her strength was surprisingly strong.

"Tomoe! Kill this f-" She didn't finish for Subaru bounced himself off the ground. It wasn't enough to get her off though. "Tomoe!"

"B-b-but we weren't hired to kill anyone!" The guy now known as Tomoe yelled back. Holding the gun close to his chest, he appeared hesitant. "B-B-Besides! Killing is wrong! We shouldn-"

"We don't have time for that!" She yelled, her voice muffled by the fabric around her mouth. "Shoot him in the foot or something! I don't care! This guy is out to kill, and I can't hold him forever!"

This wasn't going to fly with Subaru. Desperately, he prepared himself for what would happen next. Opening his mouth as wide as he could, he brought it to her neck and-

She screamed in pain as Subaru let go. Letting go of his arms in favor of her now bleeding neck, Subaru was instantly on her. Using the firearm as a melee weapon again, he slammed it across her face. The impact caused her to scream in pain. The shock caused her to fall over, to which Subaru wasted no time in using it for his advantage.

Getting on top of her, he started to relentlessly beat her face in. Punch after punch caused her to scream in pain. She tried to stop him, but when she did he grabbed her hand and slammed the firearm into it, making one of them give a bone crunching snap. Judging by how the bloodied girl seemed to gasp in pain, it was most definitely her.

By the time he was done she had stopped moving. Her face was a bloodied mess. Her hand was beginning to bruise. And she was painfully wheezing, trying to get in the much needed oxygen.

Looking at her, Subaru felt… nothing except a burning hot rage. He felt no sympathy for those that took his mother's life, and would probably never feel regret for this. This was their punishment, and he was the judge and executioner. They would pay.

"S-s-s-stop!" Tomoe croaked behind him. Looking over his shoulder, Subaru could see that the intruder had a gun to his head, his finger on the trigger.

For some reason, Subaru couldn't bring himself to care.

Looking back at the girl, he stared at her pathetic form before glancing at the bloodied firearm in his hand. Taking a deep breath, he made his decision. Slowly, he put the gun against her head. Subaru could practically feel Tomoe tense.

"I'm going to kill her." Subaru said, not looking back. He gave the girl a long stare before putting his finger on the trigger. Subaru looked back at the man, whose nose was running a dark red. "Then I'm going to kill you."

The fear in on the man's face made him feel satisfied. Subaru couldn't describe it, but the sight that he saw gave him a pleasure that could only be described in ecstasy.

In reality, Subaru probably wasn't going to kill them. The gun didn't work, and when he thought about it, after having beat the woman's face in, it didn't feel right. Just the thought of it caused him to gag.

The reason he said it though was to scare him stiff. The man was a wreck. In each loop, the man had been shaking in his boots, even the first one. Tomoe had shot him because he yelled outside, then shot his mother because his finger slipped. For Subaru, if he could scare him enough to where Tomoe wouldn't pull that trigger, then he would have won.

If only everything had went like that, then Subaru wouldn't have felt the guilt he felt to this very day.

"N-No! I won't allow that!" Tomoe yelled, as he pulled the trigger.

Time seemed to lag for Subaru once again. The bullet left its chamber and flew through the air. Spinning rapidly, as if mocking him, it sailed right to his eye.

This time however was different. Instead of penetrating him and causing his insides to become mush, a bright light forced him to look away. A few seconds passed, he turned back.

Whatever happened had done two things. Obviously, the bullet hadn't killed him, so there was that. Then there was the intruder. He seemed to have a shocked look, before toppling over.

"W-what happened?" Subaru asked our loud, removing himself from atop of the girl. He couldn't help but trip as he did so, his legs being numb. Sitting besides the girl, he gave Tomoe another look over.

"He's dead."

The voice startled him. It came out calm and delicate, but with a obvious tinge of distaste mixed in. Looking over, Echidna walked down the steps of the stairs. Her face was true to her voice, in which it looked obviously displeased. Looking over the body again, she gave a puff.

"What?" Subaru asked.

"Are you deaf? I said he's dead." Echidna repeated. Subaru flinched at the intensity of her voice, and stared at the now unmoving corpse of Tomoe. It wasn't as if he was shocked or shaken by his death, but it just… didn't feel right.

"Why?" Subaru asked as he pushed himself so he was leaning on the couch. Echidna gave him a once over, before looking at Tomoe and then the beaten girl.

"Because that's what usually happens when something travels into the brain if a living organism. I guess there are those rare cases where they survive, but are never the same."

"That's not what I mean. I'm asking why did you kill him?"

"Because if I hadn't, you would have." Echidna answered as she sat on the head of the couch.

"I wasn't planning on killing him."

"Of course, but in reality nothing works out as planned." Echidna responded. "I admit, I do have my fair share of successful plans, but in the end the result is always different from what was truly intended. This might even happen now. If we're speaking of intention though, then I must say I'm proud that you thought that way."

"Huh." Subaru huffed, too weak to speak. Looking over at the corpse again, he felt like something wasn't right again. 'What is it? What is this feeling?'

"But I also killed him for another reason." Echidna said as she glanced at the back of his head. "This reason I hope you would agree with me on. I don't think you would be able to handle the pressure of taking a life."

"I would." Subaru responded solemnly. 'Seriously, what is this feeling?'

"Are you sure?" Echidna asked as she squared in front of him, making sure to keep everything between her legs from his view. She cupped his cheek. "If you're so sure, why are you crying?"

"Crying? What do you-" He brushed his eyes before feeling something wet. Looking down, he could see the salty water that fell from his eyes. "W-why am I-I crying?"

He glanced over Echidna to the unmoving body of Tomoe. As soon as he saw it, he instantly knew the feeling that resided in him.

Guilt.

"W-Why do I feel Guilty? I-I didn't d-do anything wrong!" Subaru cried through hiccups. Echidna smiled before leaning in and hugging him, pushing his head into her chest. "I-I didn't do a-a-anything wrong! I-I-I just wanted to save mom! T-To keep her safe! So w-why do I feel this pain!"

"Shh~, shh~. It's ok, Subaru. It's not your fault. It's all the big bad Witches fault. Cry as much as you need to. I'm here for you." Echidna whispered to Subaru.

* * *

"Are you feeling better now?"

Subaru jumped. It had been well over an hour after that… ahem, incident, and the authorities had already made their way to his household. They shipped Tomoe and the girl to… somewhere. One to the Morgue and the other to the E.R. perhaps. The cops that Echidna had called had taken them into questioning, luckily in the same household. Their stories had more or less matched up, but for the authorities they still wanted to investigate. That meant they had been removed from the household.

Sitting in the back of a cop car, watching as snow fell slowly to the ground only to mingle with its million other flakes. It felt calming and distracted him from reality.

So it was reasonable that when a voice spoke up next to him, it would more or less give him a fright. Sitting next to him was the always cool headed Echidna, her smile still absent from her face. She stared out her side of the car, leaning on her hand.

Subaru looked away from her. He could still see the face of Tomoe as he fell to the ground.

"Yeah. I'm feeling better, thank you."

They sat in silence, both thinking of their own issues for a few seconds before Echidna gave a puff of agitation.

Whatever Subaru had expected out of Echidna, he hadn't expected to feel her head lay itself on his shoulder. Flinching, he couldn't help the small blush that crept up on his face. He opened his mouth to-

"Shh. Not right now Subaru. Let me just enjoy this moment, please." Echidna begged. Subaru opened his mouth, but closed it. It wasn't like this was a bad thing, just unexpected. Besides, she felt incredibly warm. Did her magic have something to do with that?

Can she even use magic?

They sat in silence for a bit longer. Subaru trying his best to make his shoulder as comfortable as possible while Echidna kept snuggling closer and closer to him. It too awhile, but Subaru finally got in a position where he and (hopefully) Echidna were comfortable. Subaru stared out the window while Echidna kept her eyes closed in content.

"Hey, Subaru?" Echidna spoke, gaining his attention.

"Hmm?"

"Remember the deal we made earlier? About how if I help you, you have to do whatever I say?" Subaru couldn't help but stiffen when she said this. Where was she going with this?

"Yeah? What about it?"

"Well, forget about it." Echidna commanded. Subaru couldn't help but jump a little, but relaxed himself some more.

"W-what?" Subaru asked. This was the Witch of GREED. How could she be selfless? There had to be an ulterior motive.

"Just as I said, forget about it. You don't owe me a thing." Echidna said, a small smile upon her face. "But if you could, could you spare me one request? You can deny it, for I know it's a lot to ask for, but just hear me out."

"…Sure." Subaru responded. There was no reason to deny her that at least.

It was silent after this, which made Subaru think she knocked out, but the feeling of his jacket being tugged on tightly made him believe otherwise. Was she nervous? No, it couldn't be.

"Run away with me."

* * *

 **So, the worst chapter I have ever written has come to pass. Hopefully this will be the last, but I'm unsure. I've a very indecisive person, so while this arc has for the most part ended up how I wanted it, it felt poorly done. Like when you have an image in your head, but your fingers won't draw what you want.**

 **So, about what went wrong this chapter. Again I'm very indecisive, and I kept jumping from a light hearted story with dark undertones to very dark story with physiological aspects. I could decide, so I am now forcing myself to choose one. I'm mostly heading for a half and half.**

 **What I mean is that this story will be dark. Oh, if the next arc won't be enough dark for you, then the third will. From there it just gets darker. So to remedy this so the cast doesn't feel like cutting themselves, I'm going to keep it light hearted until scenes like above. Maybe not even then. I'm not very good with jokes, but I'm gonna try my best. Wish me luck.**

 **So, for those who care to know why this is so late. I've been rereading manga from my childhood. You see, I've been having trouble with how I should end arc 3 because it's like a mystery arc. I'm not good with long lasting arcs so I've reread stuff that might inspire me.**

I **read Gantz and I'm halfway through Negima!(I cry ever time because I miss that cast). Gantz was good at inspiring me to layout a foundation and teaching me how each character COULD be used in a meaningful manner. Negima did a bit of the same, but taught me that one arc could be 10 different arcs in one. Literally one Arc lasted 3 days in there while the whole of it was over 100 chapters (Gantz did over 100 in one night, but Negima jumped between fights and character progression while making it feel meaningful and realistic).**

S **eriously, Negima does a good job at handling characters in a realistic manner. They made characters feel alive and their ambitions feel real. Threats feel like actual threats because they aren't just OP characters that just want to kill. They have wishes they strive for too, like any other human. There was one character, not saying who because spoiler, but she had an ambition she saw so great that she desperately clung to it because she had worked so hard for. Even when her mind was changed, she felt it was wrong just to drop it. Another character hated how her life was getting turned upside down so much, while everyone else fought to strive for this fantasy world.**

I **t shows how the characters actually differ in thoughts and skills. It isn't "My laser beam is stronger, die." It's "My laser beam is stronger, so it needs to take more time to charge. This will leave me open, so I need to think of a strategy to overcome this fault."**

 **Sorry. Negima hits me straight in the nostalgia gut so I get a little emotional. It will always hold a place in my heart and I thank the author for the characters. 3-A FOREVER (Oh the cringe).**

 _ **REVIEWS!**_

 **nexus0093 \- Thanks! I wouldn't go so far as to say this is the best since I'm still a novice in writing, I have a ton to work on, but it makes me really happy to know you think that. I do try my best to study characters as much as I can, but I can tell at times they get a little OOC. Since its hard to get dialogue from Echidna due to current translations, I just use Puck as a medium, since they both speak the same.**

 **While I'm not really looking at relationships between characters right now, it has crossed my mind at times. Hell, the reason I started with Echidna was because I liked her a lot at the time, and that was the main ship in my mind. Obviously that has changed, but I wouldn't be too upset to go back on that track. We'll see how their relationship progresses and see if there's an opening.**

A **lso, I'm not hating on Rem here, but I don't think she's a candidate for affection currently. It has to do with this story, which you'll find out later.**

 **Also, the whole other Witches thing for Subaru is just a wild guess. For Subaru, he's very observant. He pieced together that Emilia wanted to keep Subaru away when they first met because she didn't want to harm him. In the WN he pieced together that no matter how many loops he went back, he couldn't save a certain someone. It was either them, or everyone else.**

A **lso, Echidna introduced herself as the Witch of Greed. It wouldn't be so hard for him to piece together that with his observation skills.**

 **Nerf585 \- Eh? I wouldn't say that she was necessarily tricking him. More like Manipulating? While it isn't out of the realm of possibility that she could be tricking, it's more likely that she's manipulating to get what she wants. She's sly like that.**


	6. Departure

Pretty **short chapter. By the way, I hate promoting my other fics, but this is apart of this universe I'm creating for this fic. It is meant to bridge the gap between the Marvel universe and DC universe so it isn t just a cluttered mess. It's called Coexistence if you wanna check it out.**

* * *

"Those three there, those are the stars Deneb, Altair and Vega. Those three make up 'The Summer Triangle.' Oddly enough, you are able to see then only in the Summer. Well, that's unless you're freaking S.H.I.E.L.D., NASA, or some other high tech company I didn't really bother to look into."

"Subaru… I know I said I wanted to learn about the Universe since my Forbidden Book forbids me to peer beyond the vale of space, but do I really need to listen to this boring lecture on Constellations?"

Subaru almost fell on his face from where he stood. Glaring at Ekidona, he gave her the best 'You better not have said that' look. Ekidona just gave him a triumphant grin as she laid back on her chair.

Honestly, it had been way too peaceful recently. With the diplomatic peace discussions between 'The Floating Continent' and the rest of the world put on hold, it gave the Emilia Camp time to just relax. There had been no disturbances from any of this world's villains nor the Witch Cult. None that they had heard if anyway.

Truly, it was peaceful. Way too peaceful. Sort of like a bad omen type of peaceful.

It didn't matter much anyways. It gave a chance for Subaru to properly show his friends the world, so why was there any real need to worry. Besides, he couldn't really die, so it was all good. Well, physically at least.

"If you really want to learn about the Universe without any internet, then you better pay attention to my 'boring lectures' on Constellations!" Subaru said with fitting air quotes.

"Oh? You're being very assertive over this topic. Very much unlike you indeed."

"I could say the same about you! This is the first time I heard you learn new things and call it 'boring' while listening!" Subaru yelled as he pointed to her.

"While I do admit I enjoy all form of knowledge, the way I attain said knowledge may be repetitive."

"Are you telling me that I'm repetitive and boring to listen to!?"

"I never said that, you just called yourself that." Ekidona smiled as Subaru seemed to visibly deflate.

"Come on~! And This is that only topic I'm always 100% confident in!" Subaru deflated as he sat back in his chair. Ekidona gave a chuckle before looking up into the night sky. From here, out in the countryside, it was easier to spot the glitter of the stars in the night sky. Unlike the city, which was polluted in more than one way, it seemed mountains and vast plains without any electronic light seemed to be darker in surrounding areas.

Currently, they were on vacation somewhere in the mountains of Japan. From what Ekidona had experienced in this artificial body (that she shared with a few more Witch's), it was a lovely country. Surprisingly, Japan's Meiji Period was very reminiscent of Kararagi, a Country besides Lugnica. Or was that the other way around?

Which ever it was, this was worth looking into.

"Ah! What's going on here?" A voice suddenly dropped in. Looking behind them, they bore witness to a very enchanting sight. Standing at the doorway of the cabin, was a Silver haired beauty. In a white and lime night dress, her hair braided to the side, she looked like what could be described as a goddess. Any boy would have fallen for her at first glance.

Fortunately, Ekidona wasn't male nor did she quite enjoy the company of this… unflattering female dog.

Also unfortunately, Subaru was infatuated with the girl.

Emilia was her name. Just Emilia. It is theorized that due to her, Subaru was able to come to this parallel world to get treatment for his wounds. Coincidently, those two weren't the only ones dragged to this world.

"Oh! Emilia-Tan!" Subaru said as he got up to go to the girl. "I see Puck chose another good outfit for you again! I see! I see! It fits you perfectly!"

"Thank you, but will you ever wear anything other than your track suit? It must be worn out by now?" Emilia said as she looked over the suit. Surprisingly, the outfit was in perfect condition. During the time here, Emilia had slowly accepted the feelings that had blossomed from Subaru, and started become more comfortable with his antics and chatting with him.

Ekidona thought it was disgusting. Relying on someone else just to make yourself feel good.

"How dare you disrespect my best friend!? This thing has been with me through thick and thin, and is much more reliable than Otto!" Subaru yelled that last part.

"Subaru, you don't mean that!" The voice of Otto whined from inside the cabin.

"Of course I do! Until you start Manning up, you'll be nothing but a nuisance to us!"

"You're too cruel Subaru!" Otto cried as they heard a distinct thump. Most likely Otto slamming his head on the table indoors. "Even after I went to meeting after meeting with the United Nations on the pretext of acquiring licenses to sell goods from Lugnica, this is how I'm treated!?"

"Uh, isn't that more of a personal benefit?" Subaru asked as he scratched his chin. He gave a sly grin. "But don't worry! We brought you on this vacation for a reason!"

"Really?" Otto yelled back. Subaru could almost hear Otto's spirits lift up.

"Yeah, we wouldn't know what to do without a jester around, right?" Another thump. Subaru smiled, having enough of the Otto abuse.

"Anyways, how are you doing Emilia-Tan? Is Puck awake? I have some questions for him." Subaru said as he leaned back. Thinking back to their previous topic, maybe it was time for a new wardrobe change.

"I'm doing fine. I have been practicing with my Ice magic, and while it isn't as strong as Puck's yet, I'm getting there." Ah, yes. Ever since they got to this world, for one reason or another, Emilia had been able to use her magic again. It wasn't like she couldn't before though, it's just that she didn't know how too. It was hard to explain. "Puck is asleep right now. He's been loafing around lately, it's honestly worrying."

"Who says loafing anymore?" Subaru teased, to which Emilia responded in kind with a 'Hmph'

"Lady Emilia." Another voice broke their conversation. Standing at the door way was none other than the Red haired demon herself. Ram. Lifting her skirt a little, she gave a bow to Emilia. "The Dinner that has been long awaited and cooked by my sister and I has just come to fruition. We have dished you and… the ball sack up."

"Fruition? What's with everyone using these out of date words today." Subaru said, before pointing at Rem. "And who are you callin' a Ball sack you mushroom head!"

"Obviously the 5 year old throwing a tantrum over a petty insult." Wait, did she insult both of themselves just now?

"Ugh. I'm to lazy to argue against this." Subaru said as he followed Emilia, who was heading into the cabin. Ekidona followed suite, a frown on her lips. "Ah, wait. Where is Garfiel? Is he still out hunting?"

"That loud mouth couldn't hunt for the life of him. He makes too much noise just breathing to be any good at hunting." Ram said as she gave a shrug. "Although I do believe it's a good idea to draw in the hound dog."

Ram seemed to sigh, a depressed atmosphere around her, before cupping her hands around her mouth.

"Kyaaaaa! Stop it Subaru! Not- Ah! No! Anywhere but there! Uwaaaa!" Ram moaned/yelled out. She closed her eyes, a small blush on her cheeks, and gave a soft cough, returning her hands behind her back.

A moment of silence passed between the group. Everyone had a different reaction- Emilia a heavy blush, Subaru a look of disbelief, Ekidona a sly smirk, Otto still in depression, and Rem a small smile at how lovely her sisters voice was. All were thinking the same though.

"What was that!?" Subaru yelled. Ram smirked.

"I would run if I were you." Ram said. No sooner did she say that a loud thump was heard. Nervously, Subaru looked behind him, almost crapping his pants by what he saw. Near the telescope that Ekidona and Subaru had just used, in front of the giant lake, was a 5'9 demon. Golden fur covered his pointed ears, chest, sharpened claws, and hind legs. A feral grin displayed by what could only be described as a predator looking at his pray.

"I'm going to kill you Ram." Was probably not the smartest thing Subaru could have said there. For with a sudden gust of speed, both Subaru and Garfiel were off, one running in fear, the other in spite. It was truly a peaceful atmosphere, even with the death threat of Garfiel.

Ekidona smiled, cherishing the sight. Maybe the gut feeling of despair was just her being overly cautious.

Maybe.

* * *

A sudden shift in temperature woke him from his dream. Sitting up, a mound of drool covering his right cheek and desk, Subaru gave a lazy look around. The sun was setting, making the classroom a reddish orange that reminded him of a certain fruit. Slowly, the gears in his brain started to move once again, realization at where he was, and what had happened.

The class had left him, again. No one bothered to wake him, no one had even bothered to leave a note. He was truly, and utterly alone.

Biting his lip, he couldn't help but let a stray tear stray down his cheek.

* * *

Have you ever felt loss? That cold, unrelenting feeling of disbelief and rejection of reality before realization that the cold hard truth was forced down your throat? That you'll know that you'll never see that friend or loved one again? That you'll be forced to live on without them?

That's what Sayoko felt right now.

It was a simple job. Get in, rob some poor saps of some thing called 'The Catalyst' and get out. Didn't seem that difficult, and shouldn't have been that difficult. Get in, get out.

You know what happened though?

Some maniac with an absurd amount of strength beat her face in and killed her best friend.

Like an explosion, it happened fast. So fast was it, thinking back it seemed like it was only seconds. The boy had appeared out of nowhere, beating her friend, and when she tried to stop him?

Her face was beaten in.

It still hurt to do any motion with her face. When the ambulance had arrived, they had to rush her to the ER and from what she was told upon waking, she had received extensive damage to her nervous system.

How that came out of a face injury was a mystery to the doctors, but the doctors had theorized that the boy had punched her so hard that the cervical nerves had been damaged with the confrontation with the boy. If that was the case, that would explain why it hurt so much why her whole body was in pain. Her wrist, chest, neck and head were difficult to move, and even doing so hurt her too much to do anything.

"God Damnit." Sayoko cursed. She cursed the boy, who took her best friend and ruined her body. She cursed the world for the unfair circumstances that she had been put in all her life. She cursed her parents, for abandoning her at a young age, leaving her to fend for herself. Of course, most of all, she cursed her employer. The one who Undoubtfully set this whole scenario up. Who knew what was waiting in that house. "I'm going to kill that damn clown! I'm going to kill that kid! I'm going to kill everyone he loves! I'm going to pull his guts from his mouth and shove them up his ass! I'll make a pact with the devil himself if I have too!"

And with that, the room filled with a dark flame. Festering with hate, it consumed Sayoko's form and her surroundings with no discrimination. With a scream of pure hate, the flames died, leaving only a curtain and a blood stained mattress.

* * *

The walk home today was especially difficult for Subaru. Ever since Echidna disappeared that night she had asked that question, he had been alone. While his family showered him with love and praise for what he did, the entirety of the school had left him alone. What he did to Echidna had left its mark at his school, and while he had suffered no immediate repercussions, the way the students treated him was like flipping a card in a board game.

Where before he had at least those two or three guys who chatted with him occasionally on break, now he was ignored even when he tried to grab their attention. Before there would always be that one classmate who woke him when the bell rang for classes to be dismissed, now he was left sleeping, no one to tell him. Even the teacher who always woke him ignored him, having been told by the students of what had happened.

Even Shiina, the one person who he could truly call a friend, had left him.

It left a bitter taste in his mouth. Subaru didn't hate them, but it did depress him. Ever since Echidna disappeared, it's been hard. Everyday, it felt like it was getting harder and harder to get up, when before he was able to get up and go for his daily jog. Not to mention the stupid slope that he had to deal with everyday on the way home.

With a repressed sigh, he opened the door to his house, ready for the earful from his family that was surely waiting for him. Subaru, in all honesty, didn't mind it that much. Actually, he enjoyed it. It was like none of the bull crap of what happened last week had happened.

Instead, he only received silence. Suspiciously, he gave a once over to the living room. To the naked eye, it would appear that nothing had happened, but Subaru could tell everything wasn't as it seemed. The oven in the kitchen was on, with a pot of boiling water sat bubbling without a care in the world. A knife next to some chopped onions drew his attention, as blood was staining the steel of the utensils.

Walking over to the oven, he turned it off. It wouldn't do if something went wrong while it was unattended too.

A loud thump from above drew his attenion. Being a two story house, that wasn't anything to worry yourself over, but seeing as no one besides himself was currently here, it drew some concern out of him. Especially with the recent event that went down, it sent some nerves into a worried frenzy.

Looking towards the bloodied blade, his worries only intensified. Grabbing it, he slowly sneaked his way up the stairs. The hallway at the top of the stairs was as empty as ever, save for the pictures of him and his family lining the wall and the shelf at the end of the hall. A vase of flowers sat on it, a window that shined sun through giving life to the plant.

With the stealth of an average NEET, he listened through the walls. Another thump sounded to his left. Towards his room.

Looking at the door with suspicion, he couldn't help the sweat the poured down his face. It was an unspoken rule in the house that his room was off limits to his parents, as was their room to him. It was his private space where he could do as he pleased, and their room was the same (he didn't want to think of what they did alone).

So why was it that their was noise coming from his room?

Glancing at the bloodied blade, he started to worry. Did someone break in again and attack his family? There wasn't blood anywhere else, so maybe his mom had ran away? Or were they in his room right now?

Swallowing some spare saliva, he grabbed the door knob, his teeth chattering. Images of that man's body crumbling to the floor appeared in his mind. Guilt gripped his heart before he squashed the feeling. Now wasn't the time to think of that.

Steeling himself, he twisted the knob aggressively. Opening the door, he brought up the knife in preparation of the fight that was ahead of him.

"Ah?"

"Whaa-" Subaru stopped, his eyes as wide as saucers. Surprise shown on his face, before recognition of the familiar face that was before him. This was soon followed by flushed cheeks at the sight before him.

Bent over, her back to him, was the familiar face of Echidna. The pale skin of her neck down to her thighs in full view for him to see. A dark material was at her feet, that she seemed to be lifting to cover her exposed body. She had her face turned to him curiously, a questioning look on her face.

Without waiting for a response, he slammed the door closed. Panting heavily, his face flushed, he leaned on the door of the hallway.

"Ah! Subaru! Wait!" He heard Echidna said as he heard her footsteps behind the door. Knowing what she was going to do, he pushed off the door and grabbed the knob, pulling on it.

"Stop! Don't you dare open that door Echidna!" Subaru yelled in worry. He felt a tug on the door, confirming what he felt she was going to do.

"Subaru! Open the door! We need to talk!" Echidna said, pulling on the door, the clothing abandoned, allowing her to feel the cold flooring.

"Hell no! You're butt naked!" Subaru yelled, trying to remove the images from his mind. In a normal situation, he would have been trying to savor them, but he had a feeling that would lead to something that he would need to take responsibility for.

"Oh, when does a little nudity hurt anyone?"

"Almost all the time! A lot of celebrity careers end with leaked images!"

"That may be true, but we aren't celebrities! We're two individuals, one a lusting teen and another a Witch of Greed, alone in a house!"

"I'm starting to think our roles are reversed! And I'm not lusting after anything!"

"Why not? Is a beautiful body like mine not good enough for you?"

"No! I mean, yes! Crap! Stop leading thus into what it isn't!"

"My, I am just following the compulsions of your body! Maybe we might have some fun if you just open the door!"

"No! I don't want this! And get dressed!" Subaru yelled as he pulled on the door harder. His face was red with embarrassment as the images in his mind played over and over like an old record player. Echidna's silky smooth skin, as her back faced him with her re- 'Stoooooooop!'

"Subaru! Open the door!" Echidna said as he felt the tug become more ferocious. Then suddenly it calmed down. After awhile, Subaru relaxed his grip, but stayed vigilant as he was unsure of what would happen next. "There, I'm finished Subaru."

"Are you being serious, or are you just joking around?" Subaru asked suspiciously. In the short time that he knew Echidna, she had shown herself to have a mischievous side to her. While mostly it was just playing with words, he was unsure if this applied to real life scenarios.

"I wouldn't joke with something like this Subaru." Echidna reassured.

Subaru hesitated, before sighing, putting his faith in the witch. Opening the door, he gave a charming smile.

Before slamming it shut as Echidna was standing there butt naked.

"Get dressed damn It!"

* * *

It didn't take long after that for Echidna to get dressed. Having her fill of Subaru's embarrassment, she contented herself with putting on the outfit she normally wore during Winter, but a bit taken off as she was inside.

Since Subaru wasn't that much of a fashionista or didn't really know the names of proper clothing, he could only describe it simply. She wore a simple long sleeved sweater that went past her waist. The waist, wrist and neck all looked like they were folded in, making it look extra warm. She had stockings that went under her shirt, hiding the ends of them. (1)

In his opinion, she looked just like an office lady.

"So, what the hell were you doing getting dressed in my room?" Subaru grumbled rudely, avoiding Echidna's gaze. It irritated him how she could just casually do this kind of stuff and not feel ashamed (which he secretly encouraged her to do more).

"I was testing an experiment that I've been working on for quite some time and I was switching back into my normal cloths. Lucky for you, you caught me halfway through." Echidna smiled as Subaru flushed.

"And you used my room to get changed? Why didn't you just use the bathroom?" Subaru asked. It wasn't like the bathroom was that far away, so it was strange.

"Ah, well, that would be weird, wouldn't it? To change in someone else's bathroom?"

"Getting dressing in someone's room is even more weirder!" Subaru yelled, slamming his hand on the table in mock anger.

"Oh? Really? I thought it was customary for friend to do such things?"

"Well, I mean, sometimes yeah! But at least have a warning sign! You're a chick for God sakes!" Subaru said as Echidna giggled. He couldn't help but smile. It was good to have someone to talk to that wasn't his dad. "Anyways, what's this experiment you were talking about?"

"Oh!" Suddenly, Echidna's face brimmed with excitement. Getting up from the table, she grabbed the dark material that was at her feet earlier and laid it out on the table. Now that Subaru got a better look at it, the material seemed to be a form of latex. In certain areas like the shoulders and neck would be ring holes, in them a white that for some reason screamed "Pure." Across the chest there was a sort of design that caught his eye. Lines that could be described as ribs all pointed towards another of those rings, giving the impression that it was meant for something other than style. "This! Is my latest experiment! The 'Magic Suit'! That's a temporary name of course!"

"Magical Suit?" Subaru questioned, implying that he wished to hear more. Grabbing it, he looked it over, and the more he looked, the more he saw while lines on the black latex.

"Correct! You remember our talk of Catalysts last week?" Echidna asked. At Subaru's troubled look, she smiled. "Of course, it wasn't that important at the time. A catalyst, at least where I am from, usually applies to a magical Item that allows the user to properly use magic. While it generally isn't needed to use magic, those that have trouble outputting magic use them. It is also a way for beginners to get used to handling magic before going into the field. That is dumbed down version of it at least. There is more to it, but that'll suffice for now."

"So I am guessing that this is like one giant catalyst then?" Subaru asked, laying the suit over himself to see if he would fit. Looking down, the answer was simple, it wouldn't. Normally latex was expandable, but with the rings it seemed to keep the latex in place.

"Correct, but also incorrect." Echidna said, drawing his attention back to him. "While this suit allows the wearer to cast magic normally, it is also used to store magic." Now that grabbed his attention. Storing magic? If what she is implying is possible, then this would be over powered. "I am sure you don't know, but those who wield magic depend on their reserves to cast magic. As time goes on of course, they will continually run out before they need to replenish their spent reserves. With this suit, you will be able to fill it with magic as much as you want then use it as combat before using your reserves."

"So, if someone spent their month filling this suit with magic and used it afterwards?"

"They would be a difficult opponent to beat!" Echidna said cheerily. Subaru stared at her with wide eyes, surprised by what she said. If magic in the real world worked the same way it did in games, then it would indeed be overpowered. "That is not all the Magic Suit can do!"

"There's more?" Subaru asked, surprised again. He could tell Echidna was enjoying this. Sort of like a kid telling their parents how their day went.

"Of course! While the Magic Suit is able to amplify the caster and store magic, it also has the abilities to amplify the users physical abilities!" Echidna said, surprising Subaru even more.

"You don't mean…"

"Yep! The suit will allow you to be able to deal more damage with a punch, run faster, jump higher, and take more hits! Due to the abundance of magic in it, I have taken the liberty of developing a system that will allow the Magic to transform into energy when needed."

"Echidna… T-That's amazing!" Subaru said in excitement as he held up the suit. With this, he would be able to fight with superhuman strength and speed! Maybe, if he was lucky, he would be able to fight in par with someone like Superman or The Hulk! "Echidna! Can you make one of these for me?"

"Of course!" Echidna spoke happily. That was her original goal, so he was going to receive one even if he didn't ask. "Of course this is still in its experimental stage, so none of the physical attributes have been added in. Right now it's just a suit that is able to amplify your magic and is stylish. It will take some time to gather materials for another suit, and I won't be able to do that for awhile."

"That's fine, I can wait." Subaru said, laying the suit across the table. Echidna took that as a sign that he was done, and folded the suit and put it in a bag. "Thank you."

Echidna gave him a small smile. She knew what had happened in the week since she left him, having predicted the reactions of his classmates. In all honesty, she felt s little bad, but not really. While the students and staff may have treated him like an outcast, it worked in her favor to get Subaru to move on.

"Hey Echidna, where have you been this past week?" Subaru asked, curiously. After she had asked him to run away with her, she had all but disappeared without a word or his response. At first it worried him, then he realized that it was a Witch they were talking about. No way something could have happened to her.

"Ah, believe it or not I had some business to take care of in Osaka." Echidna responded honestly. "While I can't go into the details of the matter, I'll have you know it was but a trivial event. There's no need for you to look that deep into it."

"You saying that just makes me want to know even more." Subaru deadpanned, but didn't push the subject. If she didn't want to talk about it, then fine by him. Everyone has their secrets to keep.

"But enough of me; have you come up with an answer?" Echidna asked, leaning on her right hand.

Subaru looked away solemnly, knowing that the question was bound to be brought up, and in all honesty he hadn't found one yet. It wasn't like he had been avoiding the issue either, it was just a difficult topic for him. On one hand, he would be leaving behind his family, who had fed and raised him. The ones who held expectations of their own of him, and hoped for a better future for him; Subaru would be running away from that. On the other hand, that was his only reason to stay. No one in school cared for him and treated him like an outcast. All they did give him was depression and regret. A woman sat in front of him offering not only a way out, but a way for him to become a hero. This was something that he had only dreamt about, and now that it was in front of him, it was difficult to take that next step.

"Do you need more time?" Echidna spoke up. She understood Subaru's position, and while she would be the first one to agree to run away with her, that was mostly just bias talking. "I can give you another week if you want."

"No." Subaru stopped her, biting his lip. He needed to do this, as this was the escape he wanted all his life. To be free of the normalcy. To fight and protect the weak. He needed to leave. "I'll go with you."

Echidna's reaction was immediate. Her smile, which was usually a playful smirk, snapped into a grin as wide as The Jokers. Her eyes lit up with a shine that could only be described as pure happiness, reined in only by Echidna's own self control. Subaru could practically feel the excitement radiating off of Echidna as she stood, dancing without moving.

"This is Great, Subaru! I will make sure that your experience with me is perfect! First, we need to pack up your necessities! We need your toothbrush, at least a week worth of clothes for both summer and winter seasons, and-"

Like a bullet train, Echidna started listing off right and left things they would need. Subaru couldn't help the cold sweat that trailed down his face as she started going through his clothes.

'Did I make the right choice?'

* * *

Kenichi Natsuki wasn't always the joking and laid back personality he was to this day. He used to be a hardcore realist with a, while expressive, dull outlook on life. Life and death, while holding a meaning to him personally, didn't really effect him all that much.

It wasn't to say that he didn't care if someone lived or died, contrary to that he was possible the one who was impacted the most when someone died. So much so that his companions in the past had gotten annoyed with that quirk of his.

So when he had found out of the incident with his son, Echidna, and a couple burglars the prior week, he had been devastated. Having been used to the death of people though, he had shoved that feeling aside to comfort his son. It seemed to work, but even he knew that wasn't enough.

Kenichi knew that Subaru would leave with the Witch.

Yes, Kenichi Natsuki knew who Echidna was, or as he used to call her, Ekidona. It wasn't that long ago that he had tea with the Witch along with Shaula and Reid, discussing the possibility of sealing the Witch of Envy.

It hurt knowing that his son, who he did his best to keep away from the world of Lugnica, would be drawn to it willing or not. Kenichi wouldn't stop him, this was Subaru's choice, but it still hurt.

So with this pain in his heart, he slowly walked down the steps to the basement. Opening the door and flicking on the light, he gave his best impression of a father who lost everything.

The basement was empty, save for the table in the middle of the room, holding a black orb. As he drew near, he waved a hand over it, almost lovingly.

This was The Catalyst. A object that allowed one to peer into the past, present and future. To see the weaknesses and strengths of individuals. It was a magic item that was priceless in the world of Lugnica. With this little item, you could start revolutions, ravage countries, and destroy the world. Or, as it was last used, seal a Witch in a tomb.

Kenichi had swore to never use it again, but this was a concerning situation. If a Witch was targeting his son, then he needed to know her intentions. No Witch did anything out of the kindness of their heart, not even Satella, as kind as she was, did anything without an ulterior motive.

As the orb swirled with a black mist, images of blood and regret filled his mind. Like a rivers torrent, he was swept away in the memories of someone else. A world of happiness taken away by a mistake that would haunt her for a lifetime. A want to rewrite the future, and a wish that may go unfilled.

Collapsing, Kenichi couldn't help but sympathize with the Witch. She had been through much to get to where she is now, but this path wasn't right. She needed to be stopped.

Grabbing a cloak and staff, he draped it over himself.

Flugel needed to fix her mistakes with his own hands.

* * *

Well, **that's it. It's been awhile huh? Well, I am sorry that it's been awhile but I had this urge to write a different fic that dealt with the aftermath (sorta) of a Zombie apocalypse. The thing that stands out about this is that magic and Sci-Fi is involved, so I found it to be intriguing**.

 _Story Rant-_

Ok! **So let me set something straight, this isn't no Ecchi Harem fic where every scenario has a naked chick fawning over the MC. I added that in to add some comedy to a situation that seemed dire, but wasn't. I felt like if I just went "Oh yeah, it was Echidna getting dressed" it would fall flat on its head. While I am unsure if Echidna would be that assertive, it is shown that she generally doesn't care if Subaru in specific sees her. That's mostly to manipulate him, but I twisted it into a mischievous encounter.**

This **was to also introduce the Magic Suit. Now I need to set something straight, I made Echidna reference that it was in its experimental stage for a reason. I am unsure how powerful it will be or if I should in the first place. It started out as just a costume idea from me, but I needed a power up for Subaru to beat the 3rd villain since he's way too OP. Hell, I'm thinking of just making it a suit that'll allow him to take more hits. I want your thoughts on this since the reason that makes Subaru's story so entertaining is that it's a weak ass character moving these OP characters against Each other for his own benefit.**

 **Edit- probably won't use the power suit. After awhile of thinking, his initial powers are Extremely OP**

I **should note that the suit isn't going to be some OP weapon. It's just a way to put him up there with other hero's. He can still be taken out by the like of Batman, Aqualad, Spiderman, Kid Flash and others, but this will at least give him a chance besides just dying over and over. That is his current self by the way.**

Now **I mentioned some characters who I hope you'll recognized if you read the translation. Mostly Shaula, Reid and Flugel. I have my own theories on who Flugel is, and I put them in this story. I have around 3 more arcs planned out, and I only see one of them being of any use, but it'll take awhile to get there.**

I **also have a whole bunch of hints in Echidna's motivation this chapter. Echidna has her own story that will be told later on, but this was just to give a taste of that story**.

Speaking **of Echidna, I hope to show how manipulative and greedy she is in this story. Last chapter, even though Subaru was feeling immense guilt for that one burglar who died, Echidna still selfishly used him to comfort herself. She doesn't do this on purpose, so I wouldn't hate her for it, but it's something to notice as time goes on.**

 _Personal rant_ -

So **I just gotta headache and it feels like the world is spinning. I'm skipping this section**.

OH **wait! I'm not sure if I said this, so I'll repeat. I'm writing a fic that connects the DC and Marvel universe so it doesn't feel like it was jammed together. It will explore big things like the problem with the Meta Gene and X Gene. Then individual stories like the Nova Corps and Green Lantern Corps. It's called Coexistence since I was too lazy to create a better name**.

 _Reviews-_

 _Nerf585_ \- **Possibly. It isn't like I'm against it, but it all depends on how Subaru will react to her methods later on. Same with Rem, as she might not be that love struck character she was in episode 18. Both will be apart of Subaru's life, but it depends on his feelings.**

That **being said, the people that I see that will love Subaru on a personal level right now are Echidna and Emilia. Emilia is still iffy because of what's going on right now (don't wanna spoil) and Echidna is obvious. Again, I ain't trying to make this a Harem, so I think two is fine for now. We''ll see how things pan out**.

(Edit, was half awake when writing the response. Satella is most definitely a attracted to Subaru, but not for reasons that'll be canon. But again, possibly. She will make an appearance, but I'm trying to keep it as canon as possible. If she were to walk out of her seal (which she's been able to do, but choses not too) she could easily destroy the world just by breathing. I don't think anything physical can beat her or touch her.)


End file.
